A Fragile Heart
by Adsini
Summary: A unique look at the lives of headstrong Ashe White, gentle Bianca Ferilli and ambitious Cheren Kuro. Crossing paths during primary school, their different personalities collide, all three of them aspiring to be Pokémon trainers in a distant future
1. Lesson 1

**Lesson 1: Not the best start of the school year  
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* * *

><p>I never knew my father. He left my mother years ago, unaware of her being pregnant he walked out of her, better yet our lives.<p>

I know his name, and I know what he looked like from the pictures my mother seldom showed me. He was a tall and handsome man, a fire blazed in his maroon eyes,  
>the intensity of it captured in various pictures. Grinning wide in each one of them.<p>

I quickly noticed that he was always in the presence of a Pokémon. According to my mother he loved fire, and everything that had to do with it.  
>Just like fire he had an unstable personality, you could never predict his behavior, which was often reckless, and a person playing with fire gets burned.<p>

My mother was scared that one day he would get his eyebrows seared off, or that something much worse would happen to him. I could understand his fascination with fire, but there are limits. A person who loves heights doesn't go jumping off bridges either now does he?

So I guess he simply loved nature, or life itself. A rock can produce fire, lightning and its ability to set a forest ablaze, the sun, volcanoes, firelily's and off course fire Pokémon. He loved the latter best. As a trainer he excelled in battle, believing in the destructive power of fire. Years ago, a big event in Johto called the Pokémon League was shown on TV. As a Pokémon fan I was practically glued to the screen, rooting for all kinds of trainers and their Pokémon.

One of them specialized in fire type Pokémon, and after seeing how his Arcanine managed to beat the biggest Gyarados I had ever seen I became a fan of the fire type trainer, hoping he and his Pokémon would win the League.

During that period I started going to primary school, hating it the second I set foot on the playground.

Simply looking at it made me cry like a six year old on her first day of school, which I was.

Because of my heart disorder, the doctors (trying to spare my feelings) preferred the term "my weakened heart" I hadn't been able to start school at the same time as the other children. The playground in front of me was covered in snow, the students had made Christmas decorations.  
>A cute Munna wearing a Santa hat caught my eye, apparently the girl who had made it liked pink, even the bonnet was colored pink.<p>

The students names were written on their drawings, probably the teacher's doing, I thought shifting my attention from a certain Bianca's vision of a Munna to a beautiful Deerling. It's maker had used the right colors even adjusting the Deerling to its correct winter form.

The name Cheren was written in the left corner, a weird character had been added in the right corner.

I wondered if it was part of the drawing, after all it had the same color as the Deerling's fur so it had to be the boy named Cheren's doing.  
>Like every transfer student I felt like an intruder.<p>

The other kids won't like me, I thought my eyes watering.

I'll be the new girl.

My mother's eyes hadn't left my face. My sudden interest in the children's drawings had been a good sign, the sudden burst of tears a terrible one.

"The colors hurt my eyes." I lied gesturing towards the colorful snow covered jungle gym.  
>Knowing I would never be able to climb it without receiving a one way ticket to the town hospital afterwards sucked almost as much as starting school did.<p>

"Ashe", my mother said in a soft and soothing voice,

"I know it's hard, and you probably don't want to hear this right now, but try to enjoy school just a little. You'll make lots of friends I promise, and in here you will learn more about Pokémon."

She crouched down to see my face, and I gave her a piercing look. "Please, don't look at me like that. School is important you know, don't you want to learn how to read and write?"

When I shook my head my mother laughed out loud, "That's not true, remember how angry you were when you found out about grandpa's little joke?"  
>she asked causing my face to redden in anger just from remembering that day.<p>

It was summer, during the holiday's my mother would take me to Mistralton City to see how the planes took off and to visit her father, my grandpa Michel White.  
>He loved playing jokes on me. One day he tricked me into eating an extremely sour berry, his Leavanny nicknamed Ivy even took a picture of my face.<p>

On an extremely hot day, I started nagging for an ice cream.  
>Upon hearing a bell the vendor of the Ice cream van used to alert the kids my nagging increased to a level which was hard to ignore.<br>My grandpa sighed in what seemed like defeat to me, and I started to break my head on the hard question which ice-cream to pick.  
>With a grave look on his face he took me on his lap and together we waited for the ice cream van, the sound of its bell growing louder as it approached our waiting spot.<p>

When the colorful car came in sight I happily pulled the sleeve of his shirt,

"Come on grandpa! Don't be a Slowpoke or all the ice cream will be gone!" I yelled bouncing about like an Emolga on caffeine.

Fighting a smile my grandpa feigned a worried look,

"Oh dear that's a bummer." He said shaking his head while crossing his arms.

My eyes flitted between my one and only possibility of cooling myself without hovering in front of an air conditioning like a moron and my grandpa.

"What? What's a bummer?" I asked with an agitated look on my face, to me talking about ice cream meant serious business.

"Well Ashy, you know lots of old people live in this neighborhood do you not?" I nodded, the sound of the bell behind me rang in my ears.

"You see at this time of the day that man doesn't sell ice cream but soup."

"Soup?" I repeated my eyes widening in shock.

"Yes soup." My grandpa confirmed, "Old people, like me, love to eat it."

"So no ice cream then?" I asked a second time, as if his answer would be any different.

"Well you can buy frozen soup, then you can store it back home, does that count as an ice cream?"

I pulled an ugly face, "Off course not silly!"

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."  
>He said, considering the amount of ribs he had broken while keeping himself from laughing out loud. He didn't deny me the ice cream, he would've bought the whole ice cream van if he could, but the frozen dessert was probably loaded with sugar and other stuff not suitable for a child with a heart disorder like his granddaughter.<p>

"How about eating some homemade Oran berry ice cream?" He suggested, secretly relieved when a bright smile reappeared on my face.

Seconds later I sat in my grandpa's little kitchen, too small to reach the ground on my chair I swung my legs back and forth while playing 'I spy' with Ivy. (I spied something white.)  
>The Pokémon kept pointing towards several objects, the white ribbon in my hair, a big fluffy cloud drifting past the opened door that led to the garden,…<p>

He didn't notice the little salt shaker in the cupboard, it contained a suspicious small amount of white salt grains. My grandpa who ate a spoonful of Oran berry blue ice cream noticed within seconds his ice creams salty flavor. I don't think I had ever laughed so hard, even the usual quiet Ivy laughed out loud.

Recollecting himself from my revenge for the sour berry my grandpa held out his big sun tanned hand,

"Well played." We both said as I shook it.

Spending the holidays at my grandpa's place was always fun. My first day of school wasn't.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the classroom the teacher, a nice looking woman with round glasses too big for her eyes, asked me to introduce myself.<br>Summoning all my courage I took a step forward and introduced myself as Ashe White. Chattering whispers filled the air, a boy in the back made a comment on the black wristband I wore around my left wrist, and I shot him a cold look.

A cheerful looking girl wearing pink ribbons gave me a sweet smile,

"I like your accent are you from Yohto?" she timidly asked.

The boy sitting next to her rolled his eyes and cut the blonde girl short, "Off course she isn't you airhead, if I didn't know better I would doubt your ability to hear."

He said coolly, his voice had a metallic twang, as if he didn't use it very often.

"She has an English accent so I bet she's from Kanto. Also you can tell by her name, her namesake back in Kanto became a pretty famous Pokémon trainer about twenty years ago."

I gave him a puzzled look, his slanted eyes which were grey in color lacked life, he made an overall bored impression.  
>Even a blind person would notice that the boy in front of me was a remarkably intelligent person, possibly a child prodigy.<p>

Being intelligent was a good thing, the world needs those, but being intelligent and arrogant about it at the same time wasn't, and the way he talked to the girl sitting next to him was downright insulting. He didn't even attempt to hide the fact that he felt superior towards everyone in the classroom, the teacher included.

"Your name is Cheren right?" I asked, remembering the drawing of a Deerling and the name written underneath.

He nodded, not in the least impressed with my shrewdness. "You should apologize." I continued, my voice almost as cold as his.

Silence fell across the classroom, at that time I had never experienced how loud a silence could be, the teacher standing next to me turned a faint pink and cleared her throat nervously,

"Ashe, maybe you should go to your seat, its next to the window in the back of the class." She said with a careful pat on my back.

Before any of us could move the raven haired boy spoke again,

"I don't think I said anything that could've offended you. Actually you should be the one doing the apologizing part don't you agree?"

Adjusting his glasses he gave me a quick look, sizing me up intellectually.  
>I always loved a challenge and I wasn't going to disappoint him or his expectations. Taking a deep breath I made my way over to his desk,<p>

"Okay here's the deal. I'll apologize, don't really know why I'm doing it, so I'll be the bigger person here and that's a lot coming from a six year old.  
>I'm really sorry… that you are a smartass little prick who insults a person who's obviously close to him."<p>

And with that I marched towards my seat with a straight back, luckily I sat in the back row or the secretive looks the other kids gave me would've burned holes in my school uniform.

Bianca giggled earning herself one of Cheren's angry looks in return,

"Haha… S-Sorry but Cheren you couldn't have looked more surprised if Zekrom and Reshiram barged into our classroom right this minute.  
>I believe you just made a new friend." She added with a sly wink.<p>

The boy snorted in disbelief turning his attention towards the blackboard. As usual he knew all the answers, and as usual he didn't care to answer the teacher's questions. A little smile appeared on his lips when he thought about the new girl, she was rather interesting. Apart from Bianca she might be interesting enough for him to befriend. She might be, Cheren thought carefully turning his head to see the new girl's face.

The person concerned wasn't seeing the brighter side of the story. Not only had I made an enemy, I was afraid I had ruined every chance of making new friends what so ever.

Me and my big mouth, I acted like a spoiled little brat, I thought on my way back home, kicking a can of soda and almost hitting a wild Pidove in the progress.

Back then even a natural born optimist like me felt like crawling under a rock for at least a few years.  
>Not the best start of the school year, I thought fiddling with my wristband. That motion wasn't a habit just yet.<p>

Exactly how long does primary school last?


	2. Lesson 2

**Lesson 2: You don't form in the wet sand  
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* * *

><p>It's true that there is such a thing as a natural talent in mathematics. Sadly the complete opposite happens to occur once in a while.<br>I was one of the lucky people to whom equations and formulas were a complete mystery. My brain simply wasn't wired to do math and off course the whole universe runs on it.

After my spectacular first day of school I tried to calculate how long it would take me to finish primary school, the result was a waste of paper which I could've used for something better or more productive (like doodling during class)  
>After a few mathematically-oriented tantrums I had a peculiar feeling in my head, as if my brain leaked out of my ears.<br>Maybe it was one of the less pleasant side effects of math and I decided to give up.

In defeat I sloughed in front of the TV, flipping through the channels, occasionally stopping each time a Pokémon appeared on the screen.  
>There was a show about Unova's best starter Pokémon, it seemed to aid young trainers in the choice of their first Pokémon.<p>

The man on the screen moved towards a young woman wearing a white lab coat, judging by the looks of her she was what people would call a stereotype scientist.  
>However she was a woman, barely in her twenties to top. She had light brown hair neatly bundled up on top of her head and clear green eyes,<br>despite her young age appearing live on national television didn't seem to shake her in the least, and if it did she managed to hide it well.

The reporter asked her a few questions about her latest research, it had something to do with an archeological site situated in the heart of the Desert Resort.  
>She answered his questions fluently, using all kinds of words I didn't understand. The reporter whose eyes seemed to lose focus as he ignored her words nodded,<br>and added,

"Are the rumors true about strange statues coming to life at nightfall?"

Professor Juniper gave him a puzzled look,

"I'm not sure if I'm qualified to answer that kind of question." She replied her eyes never leaving his,

"After all the purpose of this program is for young trainers to learn more about Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott, at least that's what the people from the television station

told me, or should I rephrase that last scentence and say they fooled me into believing that our Unova starter Pokémon were going to be the subject of this interview?"

Unimpressed by the fierceness of her answer the reporter continued,

"I heard from a trustful source that several historians specialized in the origins of Pokémon like yourself got hurt one night, some of them haven't been seen ever

since." The reporter said, his beady eyes shone with curiosity,

"They couldn't have been spirited away right? What kind of secret did your people unravel? It had to be something big, otherwise the desert and its guardians would've allowed all of you to leave unharmed."

A shiver ran across my spine when the camera focused on the reporters face, it had something inhuman, and the way he talked about other people getting hurt or possibly worse… He didn't even try to disguise the glee in his voice.

Before professor Juniper could answer his questions my mother entered the living room. Forcing me to change the channel. Bad news always saddened her and having me see or hear it even more.

"Hey kid. What are you watching?" she asked joining me by taking a seat on the wooden floor in front of my place on the couch.

"Err cartoons?" I said, mentally praying I had chosen the Audino-Kids channel in my blind panic.

Raising an eyebrow she nodded towards the screen, "Cartoons huh? Doesn't look like it."

I followed her gaze.

Great. Apparently I was watching some kind of movie for adults since there was a lot of kissing going on. Resisting the urge to punch the screen I turned off the TV,  
>the image already burning into my mind.<p>

Glowing red I took my mother's chestnut colored hair and started to braid it, unlike my own hair hers didn't seem to tangle and it felt really soft.  
>It took my mind off things, moreover as long as I was braiding her hair my mother couldn't notice the lingering redness of my cheeks.<p>

"Your hair is so pretty." I muttered stroking her hair in an absent-minded way.

"Yours is the same, even prettier. I always wanted wavy hair." My mother replied between two big yawns.

I remained silent, biting my lip in concentration and using the white ribbon my mother had braided into my own hair that morning to tie her hair together.

"How was school?"

Taken by surprise the silk ribbon slipped through my fingers, my heartbeat painfully quickened warning me to take a deep breath.

I did. And took another one just to be sure.

"It was…interesting." I said staring at the ribbon my mother tried to hand me.

"Interesting? You never talk like a child your age, why is that?"

Careful not to touch her hand with my glowing skin I took the ribbon from her. I thought about her question for a minute,

"Dunno." I said shrugging my shoulders, "Guess I just copied you and grandpa. And that man who shared a hospital room with me off course. He was very smart and knew a lot about Pokémon, he's the one who thought me all about being a trainer and gym leaders, do you remember him?"

* * *

><p>My mother nodded, her train of thought creating another silence. At first she had been against it. The man sharing a room with Ashe was covered in wounds. It wasn't a sight she wanted her four year old daughter to see. However the hospital no longer had any empty rooms available, it had been a harsh winter, with lots of people hospitalized due to the flu.<p>

Talking to the chief of staff of Castelia City hospital would be a waste of time, he had enough on his mind as it was. So Ashe's mother decided to put up with it and tried to spend as much time as possible with her daughter, that way the child wouldn't have to be alone with the man too often.  
>He wasn't that good company anyway, most of the time he stared out of the window, you could see the ocean from there, a comforting view, especially when you're staying in a hospital, but it didn't seem to sooth him.<p>

Ever since her daughter was a baby she was afraid of strangers, crying as soon as an unknown face hovered over her crib. Somehow it was different with her strange roommate.

Those days the girl was in poor health, fatigued from several seizures she had lost a lot of weight. The sight of her only daughter attached to machines and weighed down by wires and tubes broke Ashe's mother's heart more than the child's heart would ever be broken. Ashe took everything life threw at her and childishly tried to turn it into something beautiful, happily smiling whenever she had a visitor, using the weird machines and the noises they produced to perform several impressions of her favorite villain from a weird science fiction film she had seen.

Standing on top of her bed she was in the middle of a monologue when a power outage shrouded the hospital in darkness, the nurse who entered the room to ensure her it would be a short term loss of electric power almost suffered (due to lack of a better term, not irony) a heart attack, when Ashe (still standing on top of her bed) reached out a hand while using the other to cover her mouth as a mask and yelled, "Join the dark side of the force!"

A nurse told her afterwards that Ashe's roommate who had been silent for weeks burst out laughing when he saw this scene.

It was the first sign of life coming from the man. The tears rolling down his face probably weren't all from laughter.

* * *

><p>"I remember him clearly, and I bet that nurse also remembers you a bit too clearly for her own good."<p>

My mother said trading places with me to brush my wild hair.

Before she even asked, I knew what was coming, and indeed while working her way through a rather stubborn tangle in my hair the question resurfaced,

"You managed to distract me but I won't let it slide. Interesting isn't a satisfying answer for a mother who asks her daughter about her first day of school."

"But it was interesting!" I exclaimed trying to face her and painfully pulling my own hair in the progress of doing so.

"There was a very nice girl, she said she liked my accent but I don't have one right?" I asked my mother whose features stiffened,

"What did she…What did she say exactly?"

"I just told you, she said she liked my accent, she thought I was from Yohto."

The words Yohto worked like magic on my mother who seemed to relax a little and turned her attention back towards my hair.

"That was when an obnoxious know it all boy started calling her names and said I sounded like a Kanto native."

With a loud thud the big wooden hairbrush fell on the floor, it bounced twice before it lay still,

"Ouch mom," I mumbled barely audible from being pulled in the most surprising hug ever, "Hardly breathing here." I tried again clumsily patting the back of her head.

She loosened her arms a tiny bit, "Let me guess," she said in a shaky voice, "you put him in his place in front of the whole classroom."

"…yeah maybe a bit…"

"Where you polite?"

"…I might've been a bit rude… sorry I won't do it again… How did you know I impolitely put him in his place?"

"Because I'm your mother."

I gave her a questioning look, successfully raising a single eyebrow in a way Cheren had done when he talked to Bianca.

"Okay also because your teacher called and told me everything." She admitted raising her hands in guilt.

I chuckled and hugged her. Snuggled up on the couch she told me about her day. A stray Purrloin had wandered inside the office building, unable to catch it my mother and her colleges had left a tray of milk and some Pokémon food.

"I hope we'll catch it soon, its owner allowed the poor thing's collar to grow into his skin. I can't believe some trainers deliberately hurt their Pokémon, they have the same feelings as a human don't ever forget that Ashe."

I nodded my eyes heavy with sleep, "Mommy?"

"Oh dear, the mommy card, what is it you want?" my mother asked ruffling my neatly combed hair.

"Why can't we have a Pokémon? We could keep that Purrloin, I would never pull its ears or tail."

She sighed, we often discussed about taking a family Pokémon, "The excitement will put an extra strain on your heart, if we get a Pokémon you'll be running around all day playing with it."

Pouting I blew at a long strand of chocolate brown hair that hung in my face, '"You're no fun."

"Nope, I'm your mother so it's my job to spoil your fun once in a while."

"That's not funny. Will I get one when I'm old enough to be a trainer?"

"Yes."

"Really? Promise?"

"I'll regret saying this but yes, I promise."

"Promise promise? If you don't may Zekrom's thunderstorms chase you across the sky, and Reshiram's fire seek you on earth?" I asked

"Your awfully serious about this aren't you? I'll be holding you responsible when something like that actually happens!"

I gave her the most earnest look I was able to muster.

"I promise." She replied and as soon as the words left her mouth I fell asleep.

Resting her head against the couch my mother squeezed her eyes shut,

"I pray your first Pokémon will be a strong and healthy one, a loyal friend who would protect you, even in front of Zekrom or Reshiram." She whispered out loud. 


	3. Lesson 3

**Lesson 3: I ain't too proud to say but that's how I'm made  
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* * *

><p>My second day of school was in a lot of ways better and worse at the same time.<p>

Worse because thanks to my little outburst I was officially known as 'The demon of class 1-A'  
>Trying to make friends wasn't the easiest thing to do when the kids my age believed I once paralyzed a Hydreigon with a single glance from my eyes.<br>And word spread fast, during recess not only meant looking into my eyes sudden death, apparently I now owned six Hydreigon at home.

A boy twice my size tripped over a basketball because he covered his eyes when I walked passed him.

"Are you alright?" I asked crouching down to offer him a hand.

He stared at my palm as if I was holding out a bomb, "Suite yourself." I mumbled hurt by his rudeness.

After rolling the ball towards him in what I thought made a nice peace offer I walked towards an abandoned bench. It had an old oak tree standing next to it in which a quirky Tranquill was in the midst of building herself a nest. She had picked a thick branch about the size of an adults arm, it gave her an overall view of the playground and possible predators like Purrloin and Liepard, it seemed like a safe hide out and a good place for her to hatch her eggs. However she was clearly visible from the place I was sitting,

"Aren't you afraid someone might climb up to steal your eggs?"

The question had left my mouth before I could stop myself, maybe I was getting lonely or desperately in need of a friend.

Startled she flapped her wings, showering me with feathers and leaves, (I prayed she didn't drop anything else!)  
>Luckily the snow had disappeared that night, otherwise there would've been a little mountain of snow sitting on the bench instead of me.<p>

"Nice work genius." A voice hissed, surprising me almost as much as I had done with the Tranquill.

Sitting against the tree's trunk Cheren gave me a cold look, he and the book he was holding over his head were covered in feathers.  
>Judging by the looks of it he didn't like to get dirty, actually it pissed him off.<p>

Adjusting his glasses, while running a hand across his neatly ironed clothes he managed to clear himself from almost all the feathers. An extremely fluffy white one floated through the air settling down in his raven black hair. The contrast couldn't be bigger, I thought biting the insides of my cheek.  
>I managed to stifle my giggles into a loud cough,<p>

"Is there something funny?" he demanded looking through narrowed eyes.

Before I could come up with some lousy lie his allergy to feathers made him sneeze four times in a row. He sneezed with such vigor that the feather stuck to his hair became airborne again, I counted five, six, seven, eight…

"Whoa eight times in a row, you're on fire!" I congratulated hitting him on the back. "Do you need a handkerchief?" I asked when he reached number twelve.

I dug inside my pockets looking for it, "Don't worry I haven't used it yet." I assured him after producing a red polka dotted (and clean) handkerchief.

"Ugh…Do you realize how dirty it is…Achoo!... to use those things?"

"It's dirty to use a handkerchief?" I asked frowning my eyebrows. "Don't tell me you blow your nose without using one? Cause that would be awesome!"

"That's disgusting. I never understood people who stuffed it back inside their pockets after blowing their nose." He choked rummaging through his neatly ordered bag.

"The amount of bacteria on a handkerchief is enough to get you sick all over again."

Equipped with a paper handkerchief he sat down rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Does it hurt?" I asked intrigued.

Giving me a sideways glance, indicating the patience necessary to put up with me, he said "Course not. If I'm lucky some kids saw this whole scene, they might actually believe that I'm not allergic to feathers but to you."

"I wouldn't be surprised." I replied sitting down next to him, "they might actually believe it. I already managed to train six Deino into Hydreigons, in about…"

I checked my watch, "Two hours! Anything's possible to a person who could do that."

A slight smile betrayed his feelings on the matter, the stupidity of it all seemed to amuse him.

"I'll give you a piece of advice, don't let the others find out your talking to Pokémon. You're already the demon of class 1-A, don't have them add weirdo to the list."

And with that he left me sitting by myself on the bench. When the school bell started to ring ending recess, I quickly snuck inside the school building, I knew from the empty hallway that the teachers were already outside so I entered the classroom stuffing my jacket in the empty desk next to mine. The girl who sat next to me had changed seats so I had it all to myself. After a few seconds students started to rush in, hesitating when they saw me sitting in the back of the class.  
>I pulled funny faces to those who dared to look at me, I needed a way to vent my anger, since I was too big of a coward to say they should just take a picture since it lasted longer.<p>

"Can I sit here?" A girl wearing a weird green beret asked me.

"Sure if you dare to take the risk that is." I mumbled aware of listening ears surrounding me.

She plunged onto the seat next to me, fidgeting on her chair in a way that made me nervous.

"Err in case you've forgotten my name's Bianca, remember?"

Taking of the green beret she pulled her short blonde hair into two pigtails, "Did that help? I wore pink ribbons yesterday, but after I saw you I decided I was sick of  
>pink, you know? It's so yesterday, yeah definitely yesterday. Erica the girl who sits,…" she hesitated for a second, her blush growing brighter with every passing second.<p>

"Well.. _**sat **_next to you totally copied my hairstyle, she uses ribbons now too! You'd think she'd have the decency to pick a different color from mine, but nooo had to be pink. Now don't think I'm this mean person who gets angry over stuff like that, but when I saw how she refused to sit next to you, I thought what a big meanie!"

I blinked in disbelief, for such a little person she could get pretty worked up.

I shrunk a few inches lower in my chair, when talking Bianca had the habit of waving her arms about, using gestures to stress the importance of her words.  
>When she started talking about fashion the people within a two meter radius were at risk of receiving a slap in the face or an occasional poke in the eye.<p>

"Could it be your Italian?" I asked bluntly, putting the exciting history of her green beret to an abrupt halt.

Eyes widening with shock she gasped, "O my gosh how did you know? It's the way I dress isn't it? The beret is just an experiment, I made it myself together with a matching skirt, my dad almost fainted when I showed it, said it was way too short."

I felt a grin splitting across my face. There was no doubt that if this girl ever took a tiny sip of coffee or the weird energy drink with an image of a Bouffalant on the can that my mother sometimes drank when she held one of her cleaning sprees she would be capable of moving so fast that it allowed her to travel back in time.

"I know because you move your hands a lot when you talk." I admitted waving my own hands to show her what I meant.

Bianca bit her lip, "I do that a lot don't I?" hiding her eyes by pulling her beret she seemed to scold herself.

"Could be a lot worse." I tried comforting her, "I saw this man once, and he couldn't stop himself from knocking on every door he passed, my mom got really angry when I pointed and laughed at him."

"That's weird." Bianca said, "guess I'm not that crazy."

In the few hours she sat next to me I laughed more than I had expected to laugh during a whole year of school. Her bubbly personality complimented my own defensive one and by spending time in her presence I grew out to be more spontaneous.

In time Bianca's friends approached me. After seeing me laugh and act like a normal person they threw their fear aside, giving me a chance to open up, and discover that I was actually a person who made friends easily. I suspected Bianca had something to do with all this, which was a fact she strongly denied.

Still known as the demon of class 1-A I no longer cared about the older children who avoided my eyes as much as possible. As long as the people from my class knew I wasn't some Pokémon paralyzing freak they could cover their eyes as much as they liked, for all I cared they could run into walls.  
>On rare occasions other kids asked my help when they were bullied, most of the time simply seeing how the victim talked to me did the trick, the one doing the bullying would be too terrified of my wrath.<p>

* * *

><p>With friends to talk to I started enjoying school and time went by fast. Winter went by in the blink of an eye and spring came, it's first signs were huge flocks of Pidove and Tranquill returning from their migration south and heavy rainfall.<br>On a particular dreary day we all ran outside to stare at two huge Unzefant, it was Cheren who promptly came with the answer when our teacher Miss Warren asked us if we could recognize their gender.

"That's easy." He said whipping the rain from his glasses, "The males are more impressing to look at. In order to attract females they have a more extravagant look and color."

"Correct." The teacher answered with an approving nod, adding that female Unzefant's flying abilities surpassed those of the males.

When the sun came out we no longer required boots and large umbrellas, and winter's cold grayness was replaced with a riot of activity. Unfolding its new young leaves the old oak tree stood proudly after surviving another winter. The Tranquill vacating one of his branches sang happily, her eggs, which were close to hatching moved around occasionally. She had grown accustomed to my presence during recess. Cheren often joined in on my solitude, sometimes fifteen whole minutes went by in which we didn't say a word. At first the Pokémon froze upon seeing us, nervously turning her head to check if everything was alright.  
>She liked the oak tree and it's thick branches too much to leave her nest and trade it for another more remote tree, the intruders showed no signs of aggression anyway so all was well.<p>

Surprisingly I found my second best friend in the introvert bespectacled boy known as Cheren Kuro.  
>Without us noticing we were becoming friends already, but it was thanks to my art skills (In your face math!) that Cheren officially acknowledged me as one of his friends.<p>

Not only meant spring new life to creatures like Pokémon. Lots of flowers and plants were now available for observation, and our teacher decided to link biology to the art classes that took place every Friday afternoon. On a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon she took us to a small meadow, here we had half an hour to search one of the flowers we treated during biology and one hour to paint it.

I had just finished my painting of my favorite flower, a lily of the valley. Rather pleased I watched the other children paint, it didn't surprise me to see Erica crouching down next to a pink flower I didn't recognize. My eyes trailed upon Cheren and Bianca huddled together, judging by Bianca's enhanced arm movements they were obviously arguing about something and I moved closer so I could hear their conversation.

"Looks like a Petilil that slammed into a wall." She whispered causing Cheren to bury his face in his hands, "Sometimes I don't know why we're friends." He muttered between his fingers, offending Bianca who crossed her arms in disbelief.

"Oh let me think." She said sticking her nose in the air, "Maybe because if we weren't you'd fail art big time." She snapped puffing out her cheeks with a look of displeasure.

"You're an idiot" the boy said accusingly pointing a brush in her face.

The brush got pushed aside, "I am NOT"

"Yes you are little miss I'm so good at drawing!"

"Well you…you…YOU SUCK AT DRAWING," she hissed, the green of her beret bringing out the redness of her face.

"And don't expect me to help you again, like that time with the drawing of that Deerling mister! You never even thanked me for saving your ass. Now who's the idiot?" she hissed, almost hitting me in the face when I said, "Both of you are idiots, since you're only wasting precious time."

The two of them jumped simultaneously, "Great." Cheren groaned, "here comes Idiot Number Two."

I walked over and sat down, folding my legs under me.

Smiling sweetly I said, "It's Idiot Number Three to be correct." Quickly adding, "Guess you're math is at the same level as you're drawing skills. Which are astounding, I have to say, very charming indeed."

Without asking for his permission I grabbed the painting turning it upside down. Bianca held her breath fearing Cheren's reaction, her eyes flitted between my face and his and she changed her stance, readying herself to stop the black haired genius from attacking me or wacking me with the painting.

"You do realize that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?" the metallic twang in his voice was more prominent than ever.

Nodding happily I tried looking at his painting from different angles, each of them looking worse than the previous.

"Good for me that I'm not being sarcastic. It takes a lot of talent to draw something that looks so much like a,- a,..." I snapped my fingers a couple of times,

"A piece of shit! That was the word I was looking for. It's so very convincing, as if a Pidove only just flew by. What are your thoughts on the matter?" I asked Bianca,who shot me a pleading look which obviously said: Please don't involve me in this mess!

Stammering she muttered something about how pretty dandelion's were. It resulted in me rolling around in the grass laughing until I could hardly catch my breath and an affronted Cheren hitting himself on the forehead with such strength it had to leave a mark.

"It's supposed to be a daisy."

Bianca's eyes trailed off in the direction he pointed, hidden amidst the tall grass stood a single daisy, its white petals opened widely revealing the yellow center.

"You're right!" she gasped crawling towards the little flower so she could touch its fragile petals. "Who would've been able to guess that!" the wronged expression displayed on her face almost reduced me to another laughing fit.

"Ahaha that almost killed me." I giggled whipping away a few tears. Clapping my hands I extended my hand, "Now give me that painting."

"What?" Cheren looked at me puzzled a faint red spot already appearing between his dark elegant eyebrows.

"You heard me, hold my painting while I try to save yours."

Doubt spread across his face, his slanted eyes narrowed, "And why would you do that?"

I had expected him to refuse my help, trailing miss Warren who was walking around helping students made me nervous as did the stubborn air he put on.

"Because, your art classes are like my math classes. A pain in the ass." I spelled out slowly between gritted teeth.

He straightened his back, even when he was sitting in a meadow he managed to look intimidating, the only thing I could do was wait while he took my words into consideration.

Patience would never appear on my personal list of strong points, so when he remained silent I made a bold move by saying "It's what friends do."

Cheren rapidly turned his head, "So now we're friends?" he asked ensuring himself that I had spoken those words out loud.

Bianca who had been watching us like an old lady watches her favorite soap gasped loudly, as if I had just declared myself as his long lost daughter (I knew from my grandpa, who was an avid fan, that those things were considered as everyday stuff in shows like that) She covered her mouth, afraid we would notice her obvious presence. By shielding my eyes from a non-existent sun I managed to avoid his gaze,

"Just give me the painting already." I choked in defeat. He allowed me to take his failed attempt at painting from his hands and with five minutes on the clock I did as much as I could, turning a Pidove's crap/a Petilil's remains into something that even Bianca labeled as a daisy, ("Hah! See I managed to recognize it this time!")

I chucked the painting at Cheren before miss Warren reached us, he used the same white paint to add his name and the weird character in the right and left corner. The corners of his lips quirked with a knowing smile as he handed in his work, "As usual you did great Cheren." Miss Warren complimented him showing the other children the picture of the daisy, "You never fail to surprise me. It's often one or the other, some kids are talented in music or art, others excel in math or English, but you seem to have it all." She whispered crouching down to clean my paint covered face and hair, "I don't know how you manage to get yourself so dirty every time we leave school property." was all the praise I got that day.

"It's a talent." Cheren said, a weird playfulness present in his voice.

I shot him a warning look and nudged him with my elbow as soon as the teacher turned her back on us.

Leaning in closer Bianca whispered, "Did she just use you as a diversion to compliment Cheren?"

"Yeah rudely said she thinks were all extremely dumb, side from Cheren off course" I jumped in with a sideway nod towards the young nerd.

"But that's not fair!" the blonde exclaimed tears glittering from the corner of her eyes.

Cheren sighed theatrically, "In your case it's the plain truth. By the way Ashe did you notice she used an old handkerchief to clean your face?"

The rude remark cost him dearly, first Bianca rubbed her knuckles painfully hard on his scalp, tousling his neatly combed hair in the progress.  
>Only a second passed, with hardly enough time for him to regain his composure when I appeared in front of him holding a single innocent fuzzy white dandelion.<p>

He managed to utter the words "Oh shit." Before I took a deep gasp of air and blew the feathery seeds in his face.

"Score!" I shouted throwing my fist in the air, sharing a loud and accurate high five with Bianca, the sounds of Cheren's sneezing only enhancing the moment.

"You idiots… Achoo… beter run for your lives!" And off we ran, Bianca happily skipping about not in the least concerned, as if she was enjoying a walk in the park.

I on the contrary ran as if my life depended on it, carefully counting my pulse rate. Being chased always scared the living hell out of me, didn't matter if the one doing

the chasing was friend or foe. Although in this case knowing it was a friend raised my spirits enough to outrun a hayfeverish Cheren.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi everybody,<strong>  
><strong> I hope you all liked the chapter, I know this story has been having a slow start, but I wanted to focus on Ashe,Bianca and Cheren growing up just a bit, I hope that I haven't been boring you guys. <strong>  
><strong>In the next chapter I'll introduce some new characters (guess who)<strong>

**Thanks for reading, and please leave a review, I would really appreciate it to hear some opinions ( and I don't bite :D)**

**Adsini**


	4. Lesson 4

**Lesson 4: On the first page of our story  
><strong>

* * *

><p>A young boy about eight years old was lying on his back in the grass. A gentle breeze caressed his tousled tea green colored hair. It reminded him of the seldom moments on which Anthea or Concordia stroked his hair, trying to bring him comfort when bonding with a newly arrived Pokémon had backfired, resulting in him being bitten, kicked or scratched.<p>

It hurt, he had to admit that it hurt, especially when his father ordered everyone to leave him alone with his wounds. It hurt, especially when the wounds started to infect and itch, tempting him to scratch unhealed cuts. His friends would warm him with their fur, restrain him from tearing at healing wounds, and watch over him from a careful distance when his fevers rose to dangerous heights.

"A King doesn't fail, a King isn't reduced to tears by his people, he stands tall amongst those who obey him! And you are a King!" his father had yelled.  
>His face reflected in the adult's cold and calculating eyes looked miserable. A creature like him was unworthy of being a King, he was hardly a peasant.<br>The disgust visible in his father's eyes was the only thing he earned. That hurt the most…It definitely hurt the most.

That day he promised himself that he would do better. One day he would be powerful enough, so powerful that he wouldn't have to gain obedience, but simply take it by force, as he rightfully owned. One day he would rise above himself.

If he had the opportunity to choose he picked physical pain over emotional pain. Being rejected by a Pokémon affected him more than being hit by a human.  
>Humans yelled, said awful things, lied, manipulated and crossed each other. A cornered Pokémon followed its instincts and attacked, they could be vicious when angered, scary even, but they never lied, they never truly hurt him, even the way they defended themselves was an honest one.<p>

He liked the town they had chosen to visit. From his hideout up on the grassy hill he could see the little houses scattered about.  
>The village rested snugly between a few hills too small to be considered as mountains and the vast ocean.<p>

Explains that nice breeze, the boy thought, his lifeless grey eyes resting on the huge amount of water.

From the distance he was sitting the ocean's surface appeared to be as smooth as a mirror. He liked the water's blue color, it had a green hue to it.  
>It wasn't the type of blue he longed to see, but it came close.<p>

Lost in thoughts he jumped slightly when a tiny Pokémon curled up on his stomach. The boy and the fox exchanged a glance, it held a question coming from the human child, "Where have you been?" it said, a twinge of worry inserted.

By blinking his eyes the Pokémon seemed to justify his absence, because the child asked no more questions and both of them remained quiet, a sense of companionship hung between them.  
>It had been Zorua's idea to sneak out, to do so he had transformed himself in his biggest flying form possible, and by tightly gripping the boy by his shoulders they had managed to glide out from the window safely. Tired from the strain the illusion had put on him, the young Pokémon wasn't the best of company, his eyes heavy with sleep.<p>

The boy sighed, he didn't know any nursery rhymes, and his untrained hoarse voice wouldn't be able to carry a tune anyways, so he started to recite the one thing he knew by heart which were the multiplication tables. When the numbers grew in length he gasped for air more often, the Pokémon lying on his stomach felt this motion, and embedded his claws in the child's clothes, softly piercing vulnerable skin. Instantly the boy relaxed, he hadn't been able to stop himself from blurting out the numbers, they just kept coming as if he was crying out, expressing emotions he didn't understand.

The fox Pokémon, known to the world as Zorua, had always felt the tremor of emotions bottled up inside the child. Anger and happiness were one amongst hundreds. He knew it wouldn't matter if the overpowering emotions were positive, if they ever surfaced they would bring all the same.

_Your father already knows that you excel at math. _The fox said with a single flick of his tail, _If you really want to impress him you should learn to master the alphabet, from A to Z that is.  
><em>  
>"Humpf." The boy snorted, pulling blades of grass to keep himself occupied, "I couldn't care less. Stupid alphabet can F-U-C-K off."<p>

_How is it that you manage to spell a word like that when you hardly know half of the alphabet? _the Pokémon asked amused by his friend's weirdness.

"A King's vocabulary has to be understood! He has to be heard!" The young prince aspiring to be King answered giving himself an assuring nod as if he too still needed to be convinced.

"Talking high and mighty without being able to live up to the expectations is just weak. My servants will know that disobeying me is an unwise thing to do."  
><em><br>If you ever give a speech to your servants adding the word fuck to it they'll definitely think it's colorful language. It'll be a guaranteed success. _Zorua commented neatly draping his furry black tail around his body.

Counting in his head up until the letter 'N' the boy's eyes narrowed, "N is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet, it contains 26 of them, which means I do know half of the alphabet!' The boy exclaimed happily, though his face remained motionless.

_Yes you know half of the alphabet, congrats. _Zorua said in a disapproving kind of tone_, thank the legendary Pokémon you stopped at N, I don't think I would've been able to call you 'W' or even worse 'X'.  
><em>  
>The tiny fox like Pokémon twitched its ears and opened a single red lidded blue eye. It had an icy color which reminded N of a lake situated somewhere cold.<p>

"You're right, humans suck altogether but they really screwed up the language part. They should realize a Pokémon's true potential."

N said carefully petting the big jagged scar that ran across the Pokémon's other eye which now opened too. Zorua's previous owner had put it there and it would remain there forever. "Humans might've enslaved Pokémon, but your species will never be held back by something as trivial as a language barrier."

_We sure won't._Zorua said, his eyes bright like gemstones suddenly shone dangerously.

N knew in which direction his friend's thoughts wandered, he allowed his own to be pulled along with the current. He remembered how his father had brought the little black creature before him, not so very long ago. He had been covered with blood and dirt at that time, hardly capable of lifting his head, shivering violently due to a fever and fear of humans. It was a rightful fear. Humans simply by existing made Pokémon unhappy and stole their freedom confining them into those wretched devices called Pokéballs, his stomach churned simply from the sight of those cold machines, aiding humans in their so called journey to become a trainer.

Pokédexes were used to classify his friends as if they were all the same. N had tried one on Zorua once.

The voice of a woman which sounded almost as cold as the device itself had said:

"Zorua, the fox Pokémon, to protect themselves from danger, they hide their true identities by transforming into people and Pokémon. They love playing jokes on people, their raise known for its trickster personality."

That last sentence had done it, both to N and Zorua.

N had flung the object from his hand against the colorful wall of his bedroom where it shattered into countless little pieces, loudly yelling if an abused Zorua, almost drowned to dead by his trainer would still have that trickster personality?  
>Zorua had backed him up by charging an ominous purple hued Shadow Ball and blasting it full force against the wall, reducing it to mere pieces.<br>The black fox had never managed to repeat an attack like that, and fainted from the energy it had cost him to summon it.

Later when he regained consciousness the first thing he had asked was for N to rename him. When the child asked him why he wanted something like that to happen, urging him to take into account that nicknaming a Pokémon was something only trainers did he simply answered,

_Because I no longer want to be called Zorua, that name and what that Pokédex said no longer apply to me_.

And with that said, N ceased calling the Pokémon by its given name, he no longer answered to it anyway. Zero seemed an appropriate name for the fox Pokémon, it was the very first number N had ever learned, his very first friend would be an excellent caretaker for a name like that.

* * *

><p>During the following year both N and Zero were exposed to dozens of savage Pokémon. The revelation experienced during his earliest years became an ideal, and N started to realize that something had to be done. For his friends to be happy, Pokémon had to be set free. They were born free, so it was only natural for them to remain free.<p>

Trainers who caught and hurt Pokémon under the guise of training them were 'bad'. The gym leaders who encouraged those trainers were 'worse'.  
>The Elite Four and its Champion were the 'worst'. Al of them simply encouraged humans to hurt Pokémon, treating them as if they were dirt.<br>The same had happened to Zero, and the very same was happening to millions of Pokémon with every second that passed.

N threw a handful of grass in the air, he watched as the wind carried it away towards the town. Realizing he didn't even know what it was called he sat up.

"Zero, I'm bored."

The fox slashed his exquisite tail, annoyed that N had interrupted his nap. A_nd what do you want me to about that?_

"I thought off a new joke." N answered, with a superior smile on his face when his words affected the Pokémon almost immediately. He would never tell Zero, but his species really got carried away fairly easy. Icy blue eyes urged him on, and he took a few seconds to enjoy his friend's sudden interest.

"I stole a newspaper from a servant back in our base, there's a picture of that wanted criminal on the front page, you know the one who used a Bisharp to kill his victims?"

Zero knew instantly what his friend was talking about, it had been all over the news and everybody knew about it. How a middle aged man, known in his hometown for his friendly and sociable character had trained his Bisharp to attack people. Even using him in underground cage fights where the first victim had met his death. Ever since it had happened only experienced trainers were allowed to catch and train Bisharp, and to do so the trainer had to go through various procedures.

The government even talked about raising the minimum trainer age to sixteen all over Unova. Riots in the streets of Castelia City made the news, thousands of teenagers and their young Pokémon took to the street protesting against the new law. They were backed up by trainers from all over the world, some of them hardly twelve years old managed to cross the ocean with the aid of their Pokémon.

_You want to start a riot? In a town like this? I wouldn't expect a big turn out if I were you._

For a minute N gave the idea of starting a riot a thought, it was one he quickly dispelled, all would happen in time, and the results would be more satisfying if he remained patient, "We're not ready to reveal ourselves to the world." He muttered absently scratching the shaggy scruff of fur on the Pokémon's furry head.

"No this plan is just for our amusement. Call it a little experiment, that might give this country's current leaders a little push in the back when deciding to raise the trainer age." _  
><em>Upon hearing this Zero flashed a grin that could make a Cheshire cat jealous, it only widened revealing sharp canine teeth as N told him about the details of his game.

* * *

><p>Approximately three crying children, five semi heart attacks, seven people losing consciousness and a total of fifteen severely traumatized people later, N and Zero impersonating a hostile looking Bisharp found themselves hiding in a narrow alleyway, taking cover behind a bulky garbage container.<p>

N covered his mouth to keep his breathing from being heard by anyone but himself and Zero. An annoyingly persistent police officer had chased them around town,  
>the two Herdier that accompanied him didn't seem to have a sense of humor, one even snapped at N when he had saved it from being run over, it had earned the terrier an earsplitting hit on the head from Zero's newly acquired metal hands.<p>

_You think they're gone? _The dark type Pokémon murmured, his voice unchanged even though his appearance no longer matched with the sound of it.

N realized that his friend still hadn't been able to perfect his illusions, his version of a Bisharp had icy aqua eyes instead of the characteristic crimson ones.

"Suppose you're not able to transform into a police officer?" N whispered sizing up the power still stored inside the little fox.  
><em><br>I could, but it wouldn't be a trustworthy one._

"Off course, the uniform." N replied mentally scolding himself for his limited observations. He never allowed his emotions to get the best of him, especially not when dealing with human related situations, those were easily solved, all he had to do was apply the right formula.

"We create a diversion." He whispered, his eyes scanned the alleyway for something usable, sides from the garbage container there wasn't anything he could use.

_You want to throw trash at them? _Zero asked misinterpreting the child's plan a devious sparkle already present in his eyes. N couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, the little Pokémon always pushed it too far with his tricks, and the one getting into trouble never seemed to be the actual culprit.

"Not really but we might do so in the progress." He pointed towards the container, Zero's sensitive nose could pick up a nasty combination of smells emanating from the huge metal lid, luckily it was closed off. "Conveniently this town uses a type of containers that come with built in wheels. Do you remember our game of bowling back home?" N asked referring to the days his father had punished him by taking away all his toys for two weeks.

_Weren't you punished for breaking your skateboard?_

"No, I was punished because you fooled one of the new guards into believing he could fly." N said flatly, casually reminding the Pokémon of the fact his skateboard got broken by none other than Zero. Said Pokémon was busy reliving this fond memory with eyes half closed, _That stupid fool, hopping about like a flying type, I never expected him to jump out of the window, shame it was only the second story window._

The hate Zero harbored towards humans no longer surprised N, as long as his friends were happy he didn't care either. "Help me with this." He said pushing the filthy container with all the strength he could muster. It's rusty wheels produced a screeching noise which made N's hair stand on end.

_They're coming, _Zero said releasing a feral snarl meant to order his opponents into submission.

"Good we're ready." N huffed giving the container a final push settling it into the right position.

"Listen carefully, as soon as that cop appears – _There are three of them_, Zero interrupted him his aqua eyes fixed on the alleyway's only entrance.

"Doesn't matter!" N whispered grabbing the fake Bisharp's metallic arm carefully avoiding the many razor sharp knives. "As soon as those cops appear I want you to use headbutt on that container, give it everything you've got cause we have to knock them out at least long enough for us to escape. While running you should end the illusion, warnings are out for a Bisharp not a Zorua, got it?"

Zero had barely enough time to nod before the first Herdier stalked up to their hiding place. The idea of hurting a Pokémon gave the both of them an uneasy feeling but upon seeing the gun each of the police officers carried Zero rammed in head first into the container's metal surface.  
>Although Bisharp had heads made of steel which served as a natural warlike helmet, as a fox Pokémon relying on illusions Zorua wasn't exactly used to such close combat, and banging his head against a solid object meant close combat alright.<p>

Despite the throbbing pain in his head he could hear two Herdier barking something in the terms of "Incoming!" Warning their trainers who had to run for their lives to escape the narrow alleyway. After knocking out everything in its path the container came to a halt with a deafening crash.

_STRIKE! N, you're a genius. _Zero no longer a Bisharp complemented, while running at top speed._Life size bowling why didn't I think of that?_

He had to look up to see his friend's face again expecting a proud mischievous grin there. Instead he witnessed how a spasm of pain contorted the child's face.

"Now don't panic." N said knowing that was exactly what the Pokémon was doing.

_Don't panic, you're bleeding so tell me something useful, what do I do?  
><em>_  
><em>Cradling his arm, N ignored Zero's desperate pleas, as soon as they were save he would take the time to assure him he was fine, right know he only wished to put the greatest possible distance between them and the police. Those Herdier will be a problem, he thought, their barking seemed to grow louder with each passing second. His head was pounding, bright multi-colored spots swirled in front of his eyes, blinking rapidly didn't seem to chase them away. His legs felt weak as if a grass type had drained his energy, I'll have to ask Zero how it feels, were his last thoughts before he fell face down on the sandy road.

* * *

><p>…<em>N…come on wake up…N, please…<em>

Something cold pressed against his face. N tried to brush it aside, but his right arm didn't seem to obey. Strange, using the left one seemed to work just fine.

The cold sensation disappeared. Much better, he thought yelping as it reappeared poking him in the ribs.  
>Huge aqua colored eyes hovered in front his grey ones, "Zero don't do that, you know it freaks me out." N muttered flexing his sore muscles.<p>

His shoulder produced a sharp cracking sound. "Judging from the pain in my back we haven't returned home." A stabbing pain in his arm reminded him of their current situation.

"Crap, I fainted didn't I? That's a manly thing to do." He said laughing despite himself. The black fox had settled down by his feet,

"Why aren't you saying anything, you should be teasing me about it." N said his words cut short as he saw the tears pooling in the Pokémon's icy blue eyes.

_You stupid idiot…It's my fault, I'm so sorry, there was blood on my claws, your blood, it must've happened while I was a Bisharp. I would never hurt you, you know that right?_

Zero raised his head in sorrow, pain reflected in his eyes and a single tear streak gave his onyx fur an even darker shade. N reached out his hand, the Pokémon pinned his ears flat against his head fearing some kind of punishment. When he felt how the child carefully scratched him behind the ears his eyes widened in surprise, allowing more tears to escape. "Seeing you like this hurts me more than a stupid little cut." N scolded his loyal companion, his eyes stinging.

The fox closed his eyes and leaned against the person he considered family. N felt he sat propped up against an irregular unmortared rock wall, "Where are we?" he asked viewing his surroundings curiously. A huge oak tree cast an equally huge shadow around its base. The roughly paved ground stretched out in front of him and led towards a colorful building.

_We're_ n_ot far from where you collapsed. The alleyway had a dead end so I had to transform again into something big enough to carry you to this place. I tried to transform again a few minutes ago, but it…It wouldn't work! _Zero hid his face under his bushy tail and N decided to change the subject at least a tiny bit for the Pokémon's sake.  
><em><br>"_Why here?" he asked averting his eyes from his bleeding arm, the blood had already soaked through his clothes and began to form a puddle. _It reminded me of your room…you know the toys and stuff…_

"My room?" N repeated fighting to keep his voice calm and steady. It was than that he saw four bright red swings moving back and forth obeying the wind's every whim. "It's as if someone is using them. You can almost hear the sound of footsteps." He muttered facing the sky with his eyes closed.

Zero's body started to shiver against his leg, _N I can smell someone's coming_, the Pokémon said, sudden alarm in his voice, _smells like some kind of flower and something else…It smells like gunpowder. _N could feel his blood freeze in his veins followed by a sudden rush of adrenaline. Before he even managed to move an inch, the scent of flowers and gunpower collided.

A little girl wearing a short black suspender overall on top of a white t-shirt appeared in front of him placing her hands on her hips, a wary look on her face. For a split second her eyes seemed to move between the place he and Zero were hiding and something behind him, situated considerably higher. Fury glinted in her extraordinary blue eyes as she seemed to observe the situation, consider her options and finally decided on what to do next.

Taking a step forward concealing both N and Zero with her shadow she openend her mouth.

Here we'll have it. N thought, silently taking Zero in his arms bracing himself to throw the meddlesome kid aside and run for it.

"Good afternoon Mr. Officer." She said in a clear voice, a hint of caution which didn't escape N skillfully hidden behind a polite smile.


	5. Lesson 5

**Lesson 5: Memories made**

* * *

><p><em>Our most valuable possesion is natural born instinct.<em>

_ intuition.  
><em>

_Follow it, deceptive and cunning as it may be._

_N._

* * *

><p>Her knees showed a few scars almost invisible against her pale skin.<p>

The irregular pattern held his attention for a while and N wondered how she had got them. He had quite a few scars too from playing with his friends.  
>The harsh games he joined in on were often a bit too much for a human child, and what could be seen as a play-fight between Pokémon meant a serious brawl between children. Earning a few bruises and potential scars during a fight meant you did considerably well. It was big fun though and N experienced it as good training for the future. If a Pokémon needed to be saved he and his friends were strong and fast enough to overpower any human.<p>

N solemnly believed that his overall strength and swiftness were thanks to his friends training him.

However he couldn't imagine a girl playing games rough enough to batter her knees like that.  
>Anthea and Concordia would never be so careless as to scrape their knees, allowing scars to pollute their flawless skin.<p>

_They definitely wouldn't wear clothes like that. _N thought eyeing the child's weird attire. It was then he noticed that she was barefooted, his sharp intake of breath would've given them away that instant if it wasn't for the girl's sudden and deliberate squeal of joy

"A Herdier can I touch him please? How does he help in your work? Can he locate drugs?"

Ignoring the urge to hit his head against the wall N listened to the officer's response, talk about drugs coming from a possible witness who appeared to be hardly seven years old wasn't what you expected to hear from an average female child her age.

_Couldn't she talk about dolls or girly stuff like that?_ He thought sharing a knowing look with Zero as the situation didn't allow them a meaningful "Girls…"

_N we're screwed. _The fox signaled, his eyes, large by nature, grew even bigger in alarm.

With a frown N tried to understand the anxious Pokémon's behavior, "We're royally screwed." He cursed as he understood their common problem.

Concealing his presence was an easy thing to do, being unnoticed by his servants a handy trick each time he and Zero tried to sneak out of his room. Even amongst big crowds of people he could just blend in with the scenery, he could become as uninteresting as he needed to be.

Controlling his mind and body was one thing, however the blood running through his veins seemed to be having different ideas. It continued leaking from his arm and started to creep further and further through the sandy soil already sated with his blood. The puddle had grown at a sickening rate and as his heart rate picked up the bleeding seemed to do the very same.

_We're talking about millimeters here. The guy is deemed to notice soon. _Zero muttered his ears twitching as the Herdier jumped on top of the low, rough wall.

"Yeah well I'll just stop bleeding then shall I?" N snapped inaudible, offended by the lack of tact coming from his friend. The Pokémon flinched as if the words had actually struck him, _No need to…-_'Shut up!' Both human and Pokémon jumped as the little girl loudly addressed them.

Convinced of the fact that she had just betrayed them Zero's fur preparing for battle stood on end. N who understood the situation soothed the dark type, and listened doubtfully to the conversation, the girl's voice still cheerful. Point taken, he hadn't seen that one coming, not in a million years.  
>Zero who stirred in his arms gave him a look of wonder, apparently he hadn't expected the human's reaction either.<p>

_Is she messing with us? _The fox asked inaudible staring at the source of that tender flowerlike fragrance.  
>Rendered speechless, for what had to be the very first time in his whole existence the boy ignored the question. Neither Pokémon speech nor speaking in human tongue would aid him. The slightest sound could betray them, even moving his leg would be a risk at the moment. Taking his chances N remained silent, eyes fixed on the person in front of him, any traces of betrayal would be visible in her clear eyes, he would know before she did, before she even managed to open her mouth.<p>

Getting caught would be less embarrassing if he managed to punish the one behind it.

"No really, it's true," the officer said, "Milo here is trained to enforce public order, he is used for chasing and holding suspects."

"That's interesting." She went on, "It would be hard to escape a Pokémon like that. You would have to be really fast or **hide and keep quiet…**"

N blinked, mindful of what the girl had told him, or was trying to tell him and the way she clenched her fists.

He looked at her narrow-eyed, "Maybe that's what the boy you're looking for did too, hide and keep quiet?" she said carefully, "I haven't seen him. I'm sorry I can't be of any help." N looked from the girl's feet to Zero and back again.

His blood had reached her toes, clearly visible to searching eyes. The slightest shudder only visible because he had expected a reaction like that to occur spread through her spine as she readjusted her footing. "We'll get him don't worry." The man assured the girl.

She nodded a faint smile quirking the corners of her lips. It took the police officer two sharp whistles before Milo answered his calls. The terrier had been moving dangerously close, turning his head this way and that way while smelling the air, searching for something. A tense silence hung in the air, in which the girl watched the police officer's retreating figure. The tight knot in N's chest loosened ever so slightly only after Zero informed him that he could no longer hear the sound of footsteps

* * *

><p>N heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the human before she started hopping on one leg muttering "Ew, ew, ew,…"<p>

He and Zero sprang forward causing the girl to tumble backwards, it all happened too quickly for her to be frightened and before she even thought about fighting back N had successfully pinned her to the ground a snarling Zero standing next to her.

"We better not have fallen in that puddle of blood or I swear I'll give you a reason to bleed." She growled already putting up a fight against N's grip on her hands.

_Careful, she's serious, _Zero warned, teeth glittering.

"Tell me something I don't know." N muttered struggling to keep her still.

He could feel her body stiffen underneath his, and sighed in relief, "Do you understand that Pokémon?" she asked, her eyes trailed over his face causing his heart to jump.

As she moved her head to get a good look at Zero, N could feel his hand move of its own accord. Somehow he didn't like to be separated from those eyes, they had a certain purity about them, which was something he hadn't encountered in a human being.  
>Grabbing her chin between his thumb and index finger he forced her to face him. A surge of emotions flickered just below the surface, N recognized anger amongst them and as that particular mood increased deep blue seemed to freeze into an icy cold aqua that could equal Zero's eyes.<p>

"Ah, such a pretty color." He muttered leaning in closer so that his nose almost touched the tip of hers.

She lay unmoving, her eyes wide open tinged with curiosity and fear, he noticed how those emotions managed to change the shade of blue, deepening it yet again. Not the kind of blue he had been longing to see but it came a tiny bit closer, his head was spinning and his arm started throbbing.  
>Zero's voice seemed far away, asking him what the hell he was thinking getting so close to a human. He thought about that for a second, concluding that a complete lack of thinking had taken over him while handling the girl.<br>With this he vaguely realized his close proximity to the girl, and filled with disgust started pushing himself away from her only to slump down against her chest once again as the strength left his trembling arm.

Gritting his teeth in anger he tried to roll on his back, but even with Zero's clumsy help the attempt failed miserably. The child had kept quiet, the only thing betraying her was an uneasy heartbeat, a faint quiver, rapid and irregularly against his chest. _Like a bird fluttering about_, he thought before closing his eyes surrendering to a strange sense of stillness.

* * *

><p>For a few minutes now I had started wondering if maybe the strange boy was some sort of lunatic.<p>

After all rugby tackling the person who just helped you escape from the police was a strange way of showing your gratitude, at least to me it was.

Pushing that person in a puddle of blood definitely wasn't an option either, and I kindly reminded him of this little fact.  
>I didn't know what came over me, a boy covered in blood obviously on the run isn't the kind of person you'd protect on a whim, like I had done.<br>But he had that little Pokémon with him, obviously still a pup…

It was this kind of behavior that prompted others into describing me as whimsical, a trait of which I can't say whether it's positive or negative.  
>Amongst children telling on others was part of their daily routine, to me giving the boy away to the police had felt like kicking a sleeping Druddigon in the butt. Dangerous. Unnecessary. Stupid. And before I realized it I stood there lying through my teeth, protecting the very same person who seemed dead set on testing how much weight it took him in order to squash me.<p>

When he opened his mouth to speak he surprised me by directing his words to the young Zorua. I had never seen a human talk to a Pokémon like that before. I had seen trainers shouting orders to their Pokémon, offering them comforting words, and words of encouragement but never this…

A monologue - Yes. A dialogue - No.

I froze, a sigh of relief coming from the boy as I no longer tried to break his hold on my wrists, "Do you understand that Pokémon?" I asked avoiding his eyes and settling mine on the black fox, a jolt of anger shot through my system upon seeing the long jagged scar diagonally over his eye. It left me with the strange urge to touch the skin around my own eyes and for a split second I wondered if the boy himself had put it there.

I managed to stifle a whimper as he rudely forced me to stare into his eyes. His serious face still had some childlike features. However the hostility he emanated and the sheer force in his scrawny arms warned me not to judge him on his age. His Pokémon's constant growling wasn't very encouraging either.

_The kids from school would love this guy_. I thought trying to imagine their faces if a boy like him stood in front of the class to introduce himself. He had to be the only person in the world actually worthy of the rumors that circulated about me, and I had to admit to myself that even I would have a hard time not believing them. I amused myself with mental pictures of a whole basketball court of boys suddenly tripping over non excitant obstacles just from him walking by.

"Ah such a pretty color." I blinked._ Did he just compliment me?_

His sudden closeness left me speechless, I could see my face reflected in his eyes and what I saw saddened me.

The strange grim look in his eyes, made me feel like…something inhuman, it made me remember both the bad things I had done in my life and the bad thing that had happened to me, and somehow under his piercing stare, all of that seemed meaningless.  
>They weren't the eyes of a child, definitely not the eyes of a child.<p>

At first sight they were grey in color. Cold and calculating, and I caught myself solemnly swearing that I would never ever describe Cheren's eyes as cold and lifeless again, for if that was true it would mean this boy had to be dead on the inside and that saving him was no longer possible. The idea of a world without the boy in front of me could've reduced me to tears.

His Zorua's rumbling growl deepened and the air left my lungs as the boy suddenly collapsed on top of me. His long, wild hair tickled against my neck, a few strands shifted with each rise and fall of my chest.

_That arm must hurt like hell, _I thought, wheezing after cushioning his fall a second and last time as he remained silent after that.

* * *

><p>The Zorua had forgotten his initial fear and nuzzled his trainer ignoring my presence altogether,<p>

"Both of you really don't respect someone's personal space." I shared as he boldly climbed his trainer's back, adding some extra weight.

The fox jumped, arching his back, eyes pinning me to the ground even more then I already was. "I'm not going to hurt you, I could've already done that by now." I said raising my empty hands, the movement a little awkward with the boy's weight on my body.

Following my every movement from the corner of his eyes the fox sat down casually, the look in his eyes made sure to destroy my self esteem, "As if being on the base of this messed up pyramid hadn't made sure of that." I muttered between clenched teeth wriggling my back to avoid a particular jagged rock from poking me in the back and scratching my ticklish neck, flicking a tea green colored lock aside.

_Keep your filthy hands to yourself, _Zero snarled, face warped with anger and his mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

I gave him a dry look trying my best to look unimpressed and said, "I know you just said something rude, doesn't take a genius to know. But here's the deal so listen up furball. Your friend here? The one bleeding on my clothes, the one you're sitting on, needs help. Now I want you to look around. Do you see that big old fashioned building, the two story one with the big windows?" After waiting for a non existent sign for me to continue I rolled my eyes and pressed on, "We can find a first aid kit there. You know medicine, like you would eat an Oran Berry to feel better? Your friend needs the same thing."

The Pokémon turned his attention back to the boy yipping silently, perking his ears each time he shifted. Using my chest as a pillow the heat radiating from his forehead scourged my skin. I pressed the back of my hand against his cheek, the seriousness of his fever had me sweating and when a piercing pain reached my fingers I was convinced of burning myself on his skin.

Zero biting my hand gave me a look of warning, he growled and shook my hand painfully. It didn't hurt that much and he hadn't bitten hard enough to draw blood yet. "Zorua," I began in a low tone unaware of my foolish mistake.

_Don't call me that! _Zero growled reinforcing his grip so that a small trickle of blood ran down my wrist. Even though his 'words' were a mystery to me, his teeth that dug through my skin as soon as the word 'Zorua' had left my mouth said enough.

"Okay, okay I get it! Calling you Zorua is like saying Voldemort, you don't have to exaggerate. I won't do it again. But I'm not going to say You-Know-Who."

A series of unintelligible growls came from the Pokémon and I rolled my eyes, "Even if I could understand what you're saying, talking with your mouth full isn't contributing to your articulation. Actually talking while chewing on my hand isn't helping at all!"

With that said I lifted my arm pushing the dangling Pokémon's paws against his trainer's heated skin. "Feel that?" I asked as a look of shock appeared on his furry face, "That's your trainer who's having a fever. That leaves you with two options, or your trainers bleeds to death or he simply dies from his fever." I shared, secretly overstating the severity of a fever and smiling when the Pokémon loosened his grip on my hand, his ears drooped from their once perky and upright position. I felt like a monster by the time a small whimper escaped his mouth.

"None of that." I said sternly, "Weren't you fighting for your friend about two seconds ago? You could help me to move his body so that I can help you in return, I won't hurt you, I promise." Considering my sincerity the Pokémon tilted his head, piercing me with his cold eyes. Trying my best not to blink I answered his stare with pleading eyes winning our staring contest as he sighed and carefully started probing the boy finally allowing me to touch him.

"Careful" I muttered as we rolled him on his back with our united strength.

I brushed his tangled bangs back, they were wet from sweat, and used my clothes to wipe his face. My stomach started to protest as I saw Zorua licking the still bleeding wound. I had to clear my throat a few time before I regained my voice, the sound of it slightly higher than usual "You shouldn't do that." I squeaked getting onto my feet slightly wavering.

Barefoot I walked towards the ancient oak tree craning my neck to face the female Tranquil living there, "I know your busy with your eggs and all." I began as a soft cooing urged me on, "But I…We need some help to get inside my school." I managed careful not to use the words _'breaking in' _and stood there waiting.

Zorua joined me and produced a series of barks probably repeating my words and adding his own, as the bird Pokémon fluttered towards the school swooping down on the roof. The black fox turned his back on me striding off in the same direction as the Tranquill with his bushy tail in the air,

"Arrogant pup." I muttered following close behind stopping now and then to collect the biggest rocks that crossed my path.

"Here's the plan." I began as we reached the school building and its sturdy brick walls, "I'm not sure if the building has and alarm against…" I pulled a face, "burglars. It won't be a fancy one but I don't want to find out, so I'll use one of these rocks to smash that window over there." Zorua's head snapped up towards the window several meters above us and settled on the Tranquill who sat listening with her head cocked to the side,

"Yes that's were Tranquill comes in." I replied his silent question, as a soft growl told me he agreed on the matter.

_Show 'em what you got Ashe. _I thought, huffing at the bangs that surrounded my face, ignoring how they fell back in place almost immediately. Tranquill and Zorua's mutual looks of anticipation started to unnerve me.

Calculating the amount of strength necessary for my throw I shifted my stance bending my knees.

"Err... maybe the two of you should stand back? I can't guarantee that I'll hit the mark." The fox shrugged, but moved aside anyway giving me some space.

_You wouldn't hit me even if you tried to. _Zero said.

"Don't act so grumpy you're too young for that, Tranquill isn't complaining either." I countered, checking on the grey bird that fluttered through the sky at a safe distance.

I threw the rock as hard as I could sending it skyward. An alarmed cry reached my ears as Tranquill had to produce a mid air summersault to avoid the incoming projectile. I realized that squeezing my eyes shut while throwing rocks hadn't been one of my best ideas ever. Turning towards Zorua who snorted loudly I scratched my neck, "That was a practice throw." I announced my cheeks stinging with heat.

_...I hope I'm better with Pokéballs..._

With a groan I threw my fifth rock finally shattering the window sending down a rain of glass. Rather pleased with myself I straightened my back to get rid of possible remaining shards, grabbed Zorua and held him up, "Make sure not to step on the glass when you come back. The infirmary is at the end of the corridor. I think it's on your left, I'm not sure. It smells of medicine, you can't miss it, just follow your nose. Inside you'll see this huge glass cabinet in the right corner of the room, that's where you'll find a first aid kit, it's a green plastic box with a white cross " I said almost dropping the squirming Pokémon before handing him over to Tranquill who made her way towards the 'opened' window with several quick strokes of her wings creating a strong gust of wind.

Suddenly I realized that the furball had bitten me yet again, the quick pinch of his canine teeth had sent a stinging pain through my wrist, "You better not have rabies!" I shrilled, the idea of picking up another stone to throw rather tempting.

_The one day that I'm not wearing my wristbands has to be the day a hostile fox decides to bite me to shreds._ I thought, shaking my head.  
>I jumped across the shards of glass, making my way towards my small backpack digging up my shoes before hauling it towards the still unconscious boy. He wasn't bleeding that bad anymore and I tried to remember the game my mother and I used to play.<p>

It was called 'I am a victim of.' And it was supposed to teach me what to do in dangerous situations. As an only child I didn't have a big brother or sister to rely on so my mother made quite a big deal of it. I am a victim of a fire, a car accident, a burglary... (which seemed rather ironic as I wasn't the victim but the perpetrator in this case)

'I am the victim of a cut wound,' had been discussed, and for once I thanked my mother for being a worrywarth. After lifting his legs resting them on top off my backpack and pulling the white ribbon from my hair I used it to apply pressure on the wound, crimson blood blossoming through the silk almost immediately. A dragging noise announced Zorua's return, the green first aid kit twice his size seemed rather heavy and I wondered how they had managed to fly from the window while carrying it. Using the water bottle I carried around in my bag to clean the wound and my hands I pried open the plastic box, all the equipment necessary to clean and bandage his wounds waiting inside.

The boy groaned in pain as I used tweezers to pick out the embedded gravel and dirt in the cut, Zorua drew closer, fur on end and nuzzled the boy reassuringly. "It's good pain." I whispered applying antibiotic ointment before bandaging his arm with shaking hands. "All done." I gasped slumping down releasing the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

The Pokémon nodded solemnly, crawling on the boy's lap he rested his two front paws on the human's chest right above his heart. There was a silent admiration in his eyes and above all a great devotion to his friend. I couldn't call the boy his trainer anymore, it felt like an insult both to the boy and the Pokémon. "He won't tell me what happened either will he?" I asked sheepishly, hastily adding, "I won't cause you any trouble, I'm just curious."

With a single flick of his tail the Pokémon settled on ignoring me as much as possible. I blinked and sighed, "He's very lucky to have you."

Without waiting for a response I checked my backpack. Minding the boy's legs I managed to withdraw my leather bound sketchbook and a random pencil.

"Do you mind?" I inquired while turning the pages until I found an empty one, unaware of the fox's drooping eyes.

Biting my lip to stifle a giggle I sketched the scene in front of me, following the curve of the young boy's limbs my eyes flitted away from the paper to his face several times. Covering Cheren during art class meant I had to improve my skills, at least that was the excuse I had to explain my new found hobby. Half of the sturdy book was already filled with portraits of both him and Bianca. After collecting numerous sketches of an annoyed and permanent scowling bespectacled boy and a bubbly blonde who never managed to sit still and pose properly, I decided to sketch Pokémon, the little Zorua being my very first.

A small smile played on my lips. I hadn't been able to exclude the boy from my drawing, it wouldn't do justice to the little Pokémon and without the presence of the child he wouldn't have displayed such a scene of tranquility. As I scanned the boy's face the smile dropped from my face, shattering to pieces just like the window had done. His eyes were open, narrowed upon seeing me,

"I don't recall giving you permission to do that" He hissed, eyes alight with malice boring into mine.


	6. Lesson 6

**Lesson 6: I'll know your name as it's called again  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"I don't recall giving you permission to do that"<p>

My eyes widened in surprise. _And here I was expecting words of gratitude. _Fidgeting under his gaze, I snapped my book closed, it made a surprisingly loud noise, and I felt awkward to disturb the peaceful silence that hung in the air, almost like sneezing extremely hard in church or your stomach growling during class. The first had happened to Bianca during Cheren's oldest sister's wedding, the second happened to me on a regular base during class, coughing or scraping my chair had proven to come in handy when trying to drown out the sound.

"I…I." Having trouble with forming coherent sentences wasn't the ideal way of making a first impression.

_He probably thinks I'm mental. _I thought glancing his way.

Furrowing my brow I continued my silent struggle to find words. "You…You?" he echoed, his tone deliberately slow as if he was talking to an idiot. "You swallowed your tongue?" he inquired tilting his head to one side in a very Pokémon-like fashion

Swallowing the word 'cute' instead of my tongue I shook my head, "Off course not. I took care of that wound... How did you get it anyway?"

Raising an eyebrow he leaned in closer, "You expect me to thank you, am I right?"

Affronted by his words and flustered by his sudden movement I avoided eye contact, scanning our surroundings as if I weren't already familiar with them. I realized Tranquill had returned to her old spot up in the oak tree, perched, and head turned a single yellow eye took on a calm look, intelligence lay dormant in her gaze and I wished to believe she would warn me if I were in danger, I smiled at her.

The boy followed my gaze, the still faint rays of the sun played hide and seek between the canopy of leaves. As the light caressed his face I noticed his pale complexion. He looked like he hadn't seen the sun in months._ He would be considered royalty during the Middle Ages_.

"That Pokémon, she's saying you have terrible aim." The boy commented returning his attention towards the cooing pigeon, hissing in what I could only describe as pain when sun's rays found his face again. "She's right." I answered, crossing my arms to my chest, "And I didn't expect you to thank me."

"Liar."

I turned my head to face him, "Excuse me?" I hissed, my temper flaring.

"You heard me. By saying that you took care of my wound you merely pointed out the obvious." his fingers traced the bandage covering his thin arm and my mouth fell open at this comment, "and by notifying me of this little fact you made it quite obvious that you wished to be thanked."

Struck by the rudeness of his words I sat unmoving. "Close your mouth it's very unlady-like. It is a servant's duty to aid her King, why don't you bow down before me?"

"You lack tact!" I snapped blushing fiercely, "And you're one to talk, you're behavior hasn't been exactly King-like. A crown would look ridiculous on you. Hah, you seem more like a hat kind of guy!" The dark stare I received had a hostile feel to it, my words must've struck a nerve and I silently rejoiced.

The Pokémon in the boy's arms stirred and seemed to comment on something, surprising the boy. I watched as the child shrugged and whispered something, his fingers trailing through the wild scruff of fur on the creature's head. The Pokémon flinched as he touched a sore spot, "Easy now." The boy muttered but continued while avoiding that particular spot with the utmost care. I recognized the same amount of devotion in the obnoxious boy as I had seen in the little fox, and hated myself for not being able to dislike the boy even more.

_Despite him doing a good job at being a first class ass,_ _someone who's nice to Pokémon can't be that bad._Sighing exasperated I pointed towards the first aid kit, "There's a potion inside that box, you should use it on the furb-... your friend.

Busily rummaging through the bag, while cradling the fox in his bandaged arm I almost missed his hoarse voice muttering, "Thank you."

I blinked stupidly. "You heard me." He interrupted as I opened my mouth, mindful of closing it this time.

"Hmpf, I did, but it surprised me." I replied touching my wrists. For a second time that day I wished for my wristbands, they were a source of distraction in awkward situations like the one I found myself in, and I vowed to myself that I would never ever forget to wear them.

"If a servant proves herself useful it is a King's duty to express his gratitude. I am loyal to my people" he said solemnly, spraying the potion on his friend.

"That made him sound awfully King-like " I muttered reluctantly, plucking at my hair cascading down my shoulders without the white ribbon to tie it together. It had a mind of its own, the amount of curls never really the same. _Maybe I am a hat kind of girl too. _I thought grumpily drawing my attention back to him and realizing with a jolt of surprise that he studied my movements, eyes narrowed. "You don't like your hair." He commented matter-of-factly.

"It's a hassle." I replied with a grimace and exploiting his talkative mood pressed on, "What's your name?"

"What is yours?" He shot back after a long moment of silence.

"I asked first." I answered a half smile on my face, happy with the fact that I was his superior in childlike bickering.

Owlishly blinking he shrugged, "I asked second. In math two exceeds one."

My eyes widened, Tranquill replied Zorua's barky snort with a soft cooing, almost as if they were sharing their view on our conversation. An arrogant smile tucked at the boy's lips, and I realized that they were gossiping right in front of my nose.

"No math please." I groaned waving my hands in defeat, "I'll tell you my name."

_There goes being the superior. _I thought ignoring the furball's toothy grin.

My legs started to ache, and after sitting in the same position for about half an hour I stretched them in front of me, inspecting my sand covered knees. My mother would start worrying soon and if someone saw the shattered window they would inform the police again. I had seen quite enough of those that day.

"You don't like your hair and math?" the boy asked, bringing my train of thoughts to an abrupt halt. The absurdness of his words had me laughing for a second, "I don't like a lot of things. Let's just say that math exceeds my hair… On my list that is."

"It's Ashe White by the way." I said extending my hand before he could say anything else. Giving me a weird look he consulted both Zorua and Tranquill.  
>The fox and the boy exchanged a few glances. With a stiff nod he got on his feet and walked towards me, grabbing my hand with that surprising strength again.<p>

"You have a boy's name." he declared apparently unaware of my desperate attempts to scramble to my feet, "That's rude!" I yelled blushing up to my ears as he towered over me. A weird combination of anger and nervousness coursed through my veins and exploded in my heart as he pressed his lips to my skin, kissing my hand in the same way I'd seen in fairytales. I always hated those soppy stories, the female characters were spineless and I knew that if I ever got locked up in a tower guarded by a Dragon type Pokémon I'd rather throw myself out of the window than waiting for some stupid prince on his fiery steed.

"You lack manners." He said releasing my hand, traces of my blunt nails visible on his skin. I puffed out my chest and stood, no longer intimidated by our height difference I poked him in the chest, stressing my words with a sharp jab of my index finger, "I helped you because it was the right thing to do! NOT because I wanted you to crawl on your knees thanking me, and DEFINITELY not in exchange for a kiss!"

"Oh so you did it from the goodness of your heart?" He asked unmoved by my sudden anger, a faint green tinged his pale grey eyes.

"It might surprise you, but yes I did, it's not because I would miss your glowing personality."

A crooked grin appeared on his face, it made him look like Zorua in more ways than one. "People always have an ulterior motive," he said opening his arms in a wide gesture, "they just cover it up under the guise of being a good person, that's why it is called an ulterior motive."

I flinched at his words and took a step back, "You don't believe in the goodness of people? Well, I don't like to judge but, coming from you…I'm not surprised."

Closing the distance he inched closer, trailing me like a predator, "I could see the surprise in your eyes from miles away. Let me tell you a secret.' He whispered softly a strange sense of authority radiating from him held me in place, "I don't believe in surprise." He said silkily moving ever closer while Zorua wove his luxurious tail around the boy's ankles, "Giving other people the opportunity to surprise you, that coming from either friend or foe is a weakness, it makes you... Vulnerable."

"T-That's just rubbish." I protested, my voice gained in strength as I continued, "Having friends makes you stronger." Straightening my back I glared at him, a small voice in my head said he had a point, but I shoved it back angrily. He wasn't insulting just me, but every human being on the planet. He seemed like the kind of guy that walked all over you and expected you to lay down in the progress.

_He labels others 'black or white' and the occasional human he happens to like would get the 'grey' stamp, I'm sure of that._

"You know it's true, or at least partly true," He said, "and knowing that what I'm saying makes sense surprised you. Now tell me how does it make you feel? Vulnerable maybe? Easy to read?" he asked, intrigued.

"It makes me feel irritated and rather sad since it came from a -…"

"Foe."

Our voices joined simultaneously leaving an ear shattering silence.

"But If I'm that easy to read you should've realized by now that I sincerely tried to help you and the furball." I said.

A small bow from his head told me he agreed on that matter extracting a rueful smile from my face. Turning my back on him I stretched my arms above my head, reaching for the sky and allowing my joints to snap. The boy winced and I shot him a questioning look.

"There is something you should know though." I began picking up on our conversation.

"Aha that sounds suspiciously like an ulterior motive." He announced, smug that I lived up to his expectations.

"You don't believe in the goodness of people, and that's okay, maybe you're right but I don't think you truly believe that."

* * *

><p><em>That again. <em>N really started to suspect that the little girl just wasn't that bright. Someone who allowed others to look right into her soul that easy, couldn't possibly understand him.

Naïve

Innocent

Trusting

Forgiving

Fragile

White

So easily tainted.

"You refuse to believe in the goodness of people when you yourself are such a good person."

…

She didn't just say that.

* * *

><p>The moment those words left my mouth he and the black Pokémon froze, and I knew it triggered a series of actions.<p>

He hardly twitched as a blur of black fur transformed into a metallic red Pokémon and lunged for my throat with razor sharp claws. I shrieked and crashed to the ground dodging the Pokémon's attacks, which I knew was the little fox only seconds ago. Though I escaped his first and second strike I knew I wouldn't be capable of doing so much longer. Humans weren't meant to fight Pokémon, I realized this as I sprang to my feet running as hard as I could, still moving ridiculously slow compared to a Pokémon.

Humans weren't equipped with skin harder than steel or blades instead of a ribcage. Humans - I had bones, so fragile they cracked from something trivial as stretching my back. I could almost hear his claws slashing through the air, aiming for my spine, and for a second I thought how much it would suck to die running from something, being stabbed in the back like a coward. Squeezing my eyes shut I braced myself, waiting for a feeling unknown to me, the feeling of being pierced by knives.

A loud screech filled the air as Tranquill appeared fighting with glittering claws and wings sending feathers everywhere.

"Make sure you don't hurt her, she has eggs." The boy spoke as his Pokémon raised an arm trying to swat the ragging pigeon out of the air.

Almost as if he felt my eyes on his face the boy smirked, "I told you I was loyal to my people Ashe." The menace in his tone frightening me more than his Pokémon had done.

As I stared at him a movement at the corner of my eyes caught my attention, and for the longest second of my life I stared at the police officer pointing his gun towards the red Pokémon. Afterwards I would remember people asking me, if everything that had happened to me had felt like I was moving in slow motion.  
>I would laugh at them and tell them it all happened in the blink of an eye, or in the amount of time it takes for someone to pull a trigger.<p>

The boy also spotted the police officer and started moving towards his friend, the first real signs of fear apparent in his eyes tinged them a deep green as he yelled something that had to be his friend's name. _This is going to suck, _was the only thought that came into my mind.  
>Shielding the horror struck Pokémon with my body I heard how the gun went off with a big, echoing bang that sent the startled Tranquill skywards.<p>

_I don't blame her, _I thought as sharp lances of pain coursed through my body and blurred my vision. Hard thuds from the Pokémon's heavy footsteps reverberated through the ground. I thought hearing the child's voice commanding something, but his words got lost and my head started to pound.

"Get me his gun. Take that sketch too, it's evidence… I'll take care of him…Calm down she'll manage, just do as I say."

The pounding in my head got worse, so loud it almost managed to numb out the gun being used a second time. Almost.  
>I remembered Cheren's video games and couldn't help but wonder if real live had a reset button like games did.<p>

I wasn't quite ready for a Game Over.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ten years later<br>_**

"You're dead dude and you know it!" I yelled towards the television screen in Cheren's room, almost hitting him with my Wii remote. The words 'Game Over' appeared after I had managed to kill off Cheren's character, showing no mercy at all.

"Which results in a 50 to 1 final score." The black haired teen sighed adjusting his glasses. "You shouldn't be celebrating a score like that. And holding a grenade until it explodes just to take me with you isn't very courageous."

I pouted, "You're just a sore loser. That last action was the work of a genius, if I say so myself!"

I flopped down onto his navy bedspreads and scanned his perfectly ordered room. One wall was hidden behind numerous bookcases stacked with books on Pokémon and science, my childhood friend's two greatest passions. The dark wooden desk next to the window was polished until it shone, the surface so smooth that even I experienced hardship with resting my elbows on top of it without giving myself a face plant in the progress. I had the vague suspicion that Cheren liked it that way.

"You're messing up my bed!" he growled, yanking back the covers. The sudden force had me rolling out of the bed plummeting on my backbone. "Hey!" I protested resisting the urge to rub my backside in front of him, "You're the one who invited me over so be more hospitable!"

Cheren rolled his eyes and remade his bed, pulling the covers so tight you could bounce a quarter on it. "Tomorrow's your birthday." He began and I perked up at the prospect of presents, "No shit Sherlock." I answered acting surprised.

Ignoring me he continued, "We won't have the time to celebrate with our new Pokémon and all."

"We sure won't!" I mused the idea that all three of us would be official Pokémon trainers in less than 24 hours was more than exciting, it was the best birthday present ever. I voiced out this thought, Cheren agreed immediately hardly controlling his nerves. "That's why Bianca and I are giving our presents today."

"Presents?" I asked raising a brow, "You mean there's more than one? Sweet!"

Cheren snorted a bit, "Not my idea. Bianca handles the whole gift department."

I nodded and chuckled, when it came to gifts and birthdays Cheren was a mess, he never knew what to give, and as a guy who's two best friends were girls he found himself in a rather awkward position year after year. "I remember that toothbrush you gave Bianca on her tenth birthday. Not your brightest moment since she just got her braces that day."

Joining me on the carpet he sat seiza-style, reminding me of his Japanese roots, "She cried for hours." He muttered rubbing his temples remembering his raging headache that day. "No kiddin' I had looked forward to eating cake that day, but after your present she ate it all herself."

Bianca loved comfort food, during the exams the amount of Chinese food we ordered could feed an army and the local Starbucks could almost see its turnover rising. As a result stepping on the scales became a true ordeal. I raised my right hand, "Whatever it is, I won't cry, you have my word of honor."

Cheren folded his arms, "Who's says my present will make you cry?"

I shot him a significant glance, "Stupid question." He exclaimed scanning his clothes for some nonexistent dust. "Anyway I thought about this for a long time and I think you should get to pick your Pokémon first, tomorrow that is. I already talked to Bianca about it and she- WHOA!"

Thankful for the large rug in his room Cheren managed to free an arm and rubbed the back of his head, "Sheesh Ashe, I know my presents are great but you didn't have to body slam me for it."

"Thank you, thank you, thank youuuuuu! Did I thank you?" I asked almost hugging him to death.

Answering the hug a nervous Cheren padded my back, jumping slightly as the door to his room flung open. Revealing his youngest sister Miki, notorious in the Kuro household for her inability to knock. "Oh! Mommy!" she yelled, "Cheren's being all lovey dovey with that pretty girl!" Skidding down the hallway she left a wheezing Bianca standing in the doorway. "Group hug!" she chimed throwing her bulky bag and a festively rapped present on Cheren's no longer neatly made bed. "Ah man." He groaned as our combined weight proved to be a bit too much for the young teen, "Now I know what that camper who got stuck under a Snorlax felt like."

Several shreds of torn off wrapping paper and one extremely mangled ribbon later I studied my brand new outfit. "You guys this look expensive." I muttered, secretly already in love with the blue shorts with white pieces of fabric running along the legs.

"Only a year of my allowance." Bianca joked hitting me on the back laughing loudly as I choked on nothing but air. "Pretty cute right?" she asked with a nod towards the shorts. "They're custom made, shipped here all the way from Hoenn. Cheren ordered it online." Bianca pointed out a look of adoration in her green eyes as she eyed the outfit.

"More like you bullied me into ordering it." The bespectacled boy huffed bitter dodging a pillow that was thrown in his direction.

"This is awesome." I muttered putting on the sleeveless black jacket on top of my dark blue shirt to check the size.

"Wow wow hold the phone!" the tiny blonde suddenly yelled jumping to her feet and pointing an accusing finger at my favorite T-shirt, "I forbid you to combine this gorgeous jacket with that…that thing! You know I hate that Red Hot Chili Beans shirt!"

"Oh no." Cheren sighed and buried his face in his hands. He knew that the birthday girl had unleashed World War III by wearing that shirt in front of Bianca , who in her turn could've been personally responsible for Jimi Hendrix's death by offending Ashe's favorite band.

"Peppers, Ferilli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, not beans!" I exclaimed as she pushed me out of Cheren's room, "We're using your bathroom Cheren." She yelled over her shoulder almost throwing me inside the bathtub and shutting the door with a bang. "I'm giving you ten seconds!" she said on the other side of the door.

"That's hardly enough time for me to undress." I hissed dressed in nothing but my bra and my new shorts.

"Hush, or I won't give you your Red Hot Chili Peas shirt back." Bianca answered, her tone cheerful.

"That's it!" I growled nearly shattering the door as it bounced back against the wall and quivered in its hinges, "PEPPERS, B Ferilli, Peppers! It's a vegetable or a fruit, I don't know or care. What I do know is that the next time I see some in a grocery store I'll make you eat all of em'!"

She coughed to hide a fit of laughter, covering her face with my shirt, "Don't you laugh, you might spit on it" I squeaked pulling the fabric as she hunched over her shoulders shuddering with laughter. Struggling to break her grip on the piece of clothing, both of us had no clue of the small crowd assembling around the scene.

"Nice." A voice said followed by the flash of a camera.

A rather pink looking Cheren accompanied by his older brother who stuck his head out of his room to peer down to hallway stared at me from head to toe.

"What's their problem?" I inquired, Bianca bursting out in irrepressible laughter as I finally noticed my lack of clothes.

"Holy shit!" cursing loudly I took cover in the bathroom donning the rest of my outfit in less than ten seconds. I entered Cheren's room with as much dignity as possible, which was hard as Bianca relived the moment every five seconds and had to clutch her stomach while rolling on the floor.

"Next year I'll order a birthday cake with that picture on it." Cheren teased holding the camera high above his head as I made a sneak attack for it.

Both Bianca and I stayed at his place discussing the Pokémon we would like in our future team. The final highlight of the night was Bianca discovering my picture posted on Facebook, "Already 427 likes, you go girl!' she yelled as I stomped towards the oldest Kuro brother's room my face even redder then in the picture.

My shot of the rumpled looking teen wearing lipstick, fake eyelashes and Bianca's green beret while holding a self written message saying: "I'm a sneaky perv" scored 512 likes in one hour. Nobody questioned the owner of the threatening fist clearly visible in the corner of the picture.


	7. Lesson 7

**Lesson 7: You and I, we get along  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Despite what some rubbish stories tried to fool you into believing, oversleeping on the day you became a trainer didn't automatically mean earning yourself an '<em>I-don't- like-my-Pokéball' <em>Pikachu or a cute Eevee.

Hell, whoever stupid enough to forget setting his or her alarm could consider himself to be quite lucky if the only Pokémon left available turned out to be a Magikarp. Even I (and this had shocked Cheren in particular) realized that in a small town like Nuvema the amount of registered trainers shouldn't be underestimated. A small army of trainers would be circling professor Juniper's lab before dawn, and since Bianca's father had called me a brain damaged nut for suggesting we could spend the night in front of the Pokémon professor's place using tents we decided to call each other first thing in the morning.

"To check if the other's already awake daddy." Biance chimed on the morning before my birthday, her voice sweet enough to send me into a diabetic coma.

Her hand clasped onto my mouth forced me to swallow my rude sneer addressed to Mr. Ferilli. "I don't know what you told him Bianca, but trainers don't spend the night in four star hotels. What's wrong with a tent anyway?" I whispered to her afterwards, ignoring the look on her father's face, almost hearing his thoughts screaming 'Bad influence!'

Mrs. Ferilli who walked by holding a basket towering with nice smelling laundry shot me a whistfull smile, she knew my opinion on the matter. I had never bothered to hide my displeasure with Mr. Ferilli's way of raising his only daughter. If smothering, and hiding a child from the world could be counted as raising Mr. Ferilli would be holding the title 'Dad of the Year' for seventeen years by now. 'Most Dangerous Friend of the Year' had gone to me quite a few years ago.

When we were about eight years old I had persuaded Bianca to join me in a race car competition. Always up for everything she agreed almost immediately. "On one condition." She had said, smiling coyly, as Cheren, expecting the worst, raised his head from a pile of paper on which he was calculating different wheel sizes and the speed it would give our car, "I want to be responsible for the design of our car, it has to be stylish!"

One (painted in an eye hurting yellow) crashed and splintered to pieces race car later we found ourselves sitting in Mr. Ferilli's kitchen, fearing for the table as his fist rammed onto the wooden surface for what had to be the millionth time.

"WHO OF YOU TWO HAD THE BRILLIANT IDEA TO USE A POKEMON'S STRENGHT ATTACK TO PUSH THAT STUPID RACE CAR DOWN A HILL!"

Even now I could still remember my ears ringing from the amount of screaming that day. As the brain behind the plan I was the one responsible for Bianca's scraped knees and Cheren's cracked glasses. The fact that I had managed to walk away from the accident without even a single scratch seemed to add fuel to the fire. It could've been a lot worse, but stating that little fact had earned me fifteen more minutes of screaming.

"I'll call you around six in the morning then." I said the grin on my face widening from the fond childhood memory as I left Bianca's house.

* * *

><p>"No offence to Magikarp but I don't feel like getting one." I mumbled to myself, fumbling with the old fashioned wind up alarm clock sitting on the shelves above my bed.<p>

"That should do it." I gasped eyeing my collection of wake-up calls, quite pleased with myself.

If my cell phone decided to screw me over, my laptop was set to play my favorites on Itunes at 05:30 in the morning. Cheren would be calling me around 05.45 and I would call Bianca immediately after that. All I had to do was go to sleep. Waking up wouldn't be a problem.

Lying on my back I stared at the ceiling of my room, it followed the shape of our pitched roof. Houses in Nuvema tended to resemble each other a lot in an almost creepy manner. The architect designing our neighborhood apparently had little inspiration or was downright lazy. My room was the exact copy of Cheren's, even the amount of steps on the staircase was the same.

I sighed and listened to the intense high pitched cries of several Woobat preparing for their night time hunt. The moon was bright enough to light up a few of my favorite sketches which were pinned to the wall. One showed the picture of a Pokémon of which I hoped it would be accompanying me from tomorrow on.

Somewhere a clock struck the hour, twelve loud gongs that reverberated through the stuffy summer air. A knowing smile appeared on my lips as I waited for a once in a year occurring event...

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHE!" Bianca's loud voice boomed, startling several Petilil and Herdier who started barking, other doglike Pokémon answering from a distance.  
>It wouldn't be long before someone deprived off his sleep started yelling insults. I burst out laughing almost missing the sound my cell phone made as it went off with the sound Yoshi made on Mario Kart. I touched the screen and read the words appearing, stifling my laughs.<p>

_Seriously if she keeps this up every year someone will call the police, I'm surprised she hasn't fallen out of her bedroom window yelling like that… No wonder Mr. Ferilli says you're a bad influence on her.  
>I'll see you guys in the morning, 08:00 AM sharp don't you dare forget!<em>

_By the way, Happy Birthday  
>Cheren<em>

An ear splitting grin spread across my face. After years of waiting and looking forward to becoming a trainer mere hours separated me from my dream. And those dreams were wide like a country mile.

* * *

><p>Ignoring my wild tousled hair I sat up in my bed, outside the sun hadn't even started to rise, a few lost clouds were colored a faint pink and orange hue almost as if they were announcing the rising sun. It would be one of those days on which the sky seemed miles and miles away.<p>

I sat there waiting for my very own birthday tradition, it was a rather silly one, much like Bianca yelling a happy birthday in the dead of the night. But to me memorizing the very first song I heard on the very first day of my birthday had something exciting, like counting down to a New Year. The result could be rather sinister though. The first track I heard on my first day as a sixteen year old turned out to be 'Highway to hell' I preferred something more festive this time and waited for my own alarms to catch up on me, which I thought was rather ironic.

As 'Justine' boomed through the speakers of my laptop I took the song as the best starting signal of the day, and danced around the room in a way everyone does when they're alone. Practically shouting the line '_you know it's time to go!' _and answering as if the band members were standing right in front of me with a loud "I sure do!"

I followed that up with a rather accurate air guitar, oblivious to the amount of noise in my room as two alarm clocks, a ringing phone, and music capable of giving the unfortunate listener permanent ear damage woke up the whole neighborhood.

"Ashe Justine White!" my mother (a freakishly early riser) yelled as I replayed the track for good measure while brushing my teeth, dancing around in my underwear.

"Way to go grandma for having that name!" I agreed grinning like an idiot while my mother dressed in pajama tapped her fluffy slippers.

"She would suffer from a heart attack hearing this kind of music. And you will too if you don't calm down." She said firmly.

"Oh mom, I'm as healthy as a fish, as long as I take my medicine I'll be fine. Wanna see me do a back flip to prove it?" I asked already bending my knees glancing through my eyelashes to see her reaction. "Don't push it young lady. What I want to see is you dressed and downstairs for breakfast." She replied her tone clipped, adding, "Cheren arrived about five minutes ago, convinced of the fact that you overslept. He gave the mailman quite a scare." Her tone was breezy, a hint of a smile appeared as I tried to force my way to the door, only to be pulled back by my hair.

"Get Dressed First" she said as I considered grabbing a scissor to make my escape.

It took me only ten minutes to make an appearance in the kitchen, dressed in my brand new outfit adding some of my own taste in clothing by wearing my trade mark wristbands and my black boots. My thick curly hair was pulled together in a messy ponytail, various loose strands framed my face.  
>Cheren who sat by the kitchen table stared at the package in front of him.<p>

He put on his dignified,_ 'I'm untouched by all of this' _air_, _fooling nobody but himself as his normally cool and rather dull grey eyes glistened fiercely.

"I hear you threatened the mailman." I inquired pulling at the package's wrapping paper earning myself a slap on the hand. "We have to wait for Bianca!" he hissed readjusting the package. "And why didn't you answer your phone? I called every two minutes."

I shrugged fidgeting on my chair, playing with the bowl of cereals my mother set down in front of Cheren and me.

* * *

><p>"How much longer?" I asked ignoring Cheren's cold glare as he flipped a page of the Trainer Guide he was reading.<p>

"One minute shorter than the last time you asked, and if you ask me one more time I'll use this book to-"Interrupted by my mother who asked us to come upstairs he squeezed his slanted eyes shut. "Now I'll never get to know how you planned on torturing me with a book." I teased climbing the stairs almost running in to my mother who was holding a pink shoulder bag and a matching pink and white baseball cap.

"Happy birthday honey." My mother said handing me my birthday presents which I happily took. Putting my ponytail through the baseball cap I turned to Cheren inquiring, "How do I look?"

"Do you want an honest answer or a not so hurting alternative?" he asked raising, an eyebrow, readjusting his glasses and insulting me all in a single movement.  
>"Oh shut it." I laughed nudging him with my elbow and hugging my mother.<p>

I noticed she had already packed my bag with basic stuff necessary for traveling on foot, one of the smaller compartments contained my medicine and some prescriptions. "I have something for you too Cheren" my mother said causing the young nerd to pale noticeable.

"I hope it's a baseball cap like mine." I snorted.

To my great regret my mother gave him a device I recognized as an Xtransceiver. Living up to his reputation the teenage geek figured out in mere seconds how to use the watch-like gadget. Pressing a few buttons he managed to contact the second Xtransceiver my mother held, almost dropping it due to shock as it buzzed to live. "Thank you very much Mrs. White." Cheren said inclining his head to express his gratitude. "Happy you kids like it, I hope Bianca doesn't mind its dull color though." She mused making her way downstairs, a third and last watch in her hand.

Half an hour later Cheren paced through my room, "I can't believe she's late. That girl has to set her priorities straight." He fumed, ignoring my attempt to fit my laptop into my bag, failing big time.

The package sat on my bed, begging for me to open it. I suppressed the urge, after getting caught reading the card coming from professor Juniper attached to the package Cheren had almost thrown me out of the window even threatening to reclaim his birthday present.

"You'll wear out your shoes if you keep pacing like that." I stated not being helpful at all. "I can buy shoes, you would need a skin transplant if you keep picking your wrists like that. You're no better than I am Ashe." He said returning to his route through my room for another five minutes. Bianca's loud voice reached us all the way upstairs, and my heart skipped a beat as I heard her climbing the stairs as fast as possible. Cheren froze and stared at the door as it swung open revealing…-a walking bag?

I shot Cheren a questioning look, something close to disgust and utter horror appeared on his face. Carrying what had to be the biggest handbag/suitcase Bianca fought her way through the door dropping her baggage with a loud thud. "Ah man! I'm late again! I overslept and I had the craziest dream. Ashe you were there and Cheren too, but he was wearing the most ridiculous outfit I've ever seen." She said happily, oblivious to the raven haired teen who was flexing his fingers and found himself considering the idea of strangling her. "Doesn't matter Bianca." I said quickly, "Cheren was getting a bit homicidal but even he isn't smart enough to get away with murder."

"As long as I get to kill her I'm happy." Cheren answered coolly, ignoring a whimpering Bianca.

"Yes well before we condemn one of the Pokémon inside those Pokéballs to a lifetime in jail together with his trainer we should get to meet them right?"

Bianca shot Cheren a look with pleading puppy dog eyes. Determined not to give in the teen found his anger ebbing away and shrugged, "I've known for over ten years that you have absolutely no sense of time, kindda like how Ashe has no sense of direction but,...-"

"Hey! Don't drag me into your little lover's quarrel!" I said pressing my lips together as the boy raised his hand for me to be silent.

"Seriously Bianca." Cheren continued frowning his thin eyebrows, "Today's the day we get our Pokémon, don't you want to prove to your dad that you can handle the responsibility. Don't you want to prove that to your Pokémon?" He asked pointedly.

Bianca gasped and withdrew into herself, pulling her green beret down to cover her face. After a tense silence, in which Bianca seemed to reflect on her behavior the black haired teen decided to give his crazy friend a chance yet again. "I hope that by the time we know each other for twenty years you won't be as tardy as you are now." he added flashing her an indulgent smile before she threw her arms around him in tearful hug.

"I'm sorry Ashe, I'm sorry Cheren." She sniffed smudging neat freak Cheren's navy colored jacket with her tears.

"This is becoming a pattern." I pointed out amused by the boys reddening face. "And you never seem to run out of one liners." He snapped back straightening his jacket as a now cheerful Bianca moved towards the package, squealing, "Let's meet our Pokémon! They must be just as excited as we are!"

"I hope one of them agrees on you two acting like idiots." I muttered before Bianca skillfully tore of the wrapping chucking it over her shoulder. Three shining new Pokéballs containing the Unova starters lay there waiting for their trainers, the three of us stared at the Pokéballs in silence. "Ashe gets to pick first right?" Bianca whispered.

"Naturally." Cheren nodded the red and white orbs reflecting in his glasses.

"Why are you two whispering?" I laughed, noticing my cramped muscles. "Here's the deal, the three of us simply take the Pokémon we wish for, I'm sure it'll work out."

"Idiot of course it won't. Those things never do." Cheren snapped.

"Don't call her an idiot, idiot!" Bianca yelled sticking out her tongue.

After a few seconds of swearing back and forth, the three of us noticed our hands resting on a Pokéball. All three Pokémon had a trainer touching the surface of their Pokéball. In a flash of light the young creatures materialized on the floor, craning their necks to gaze into their new trainer's eyes.

A green slender Pokémon studied me with large reddish brown eyes, it stood with his head held high and tasted the air before carefully climbing my shoulder using the leaf on the tip of his tail to tickle my neck.

Bianca petting her brand new Tepig copied his move and sniffed his snout with her own nose, both of them sneezing in unison.

A female Oshawott chirruped, apparently deep in conversation with Cheren who whispered to her, a small smile tugged at his lips as he noticed how the female otter scooted closer and closer settling down on his lap.

Snivy in the midst of studying a chocolate colored lock of my hair raised his head in interest as Bianca jumped to her feet holding Tepig in her arms, the piglet snorted proudly as he towered above all the other Pokémon. "We all have Pokémon now, so we should celebrate by having a battle!" she yelled clenching her fist passionately making if very easy for me to imagine flames burning in the background. "Bianca," Cheren sighed shaking his head in disbelief, "You shouldn't have Pokémon battles in someone's house. Especially if said house isn't even yours!"

"Jup it's mine! And I give you permission to do so!" I said gesturing throughout my room. "But if you want to be a worrywart you can just watch me and Bianca become real trainers you know?" I purred enjoying the immediate effect of my words as Cheren sprung to his feet and Oshawott took on a battle stance.

Gracefully sliding down my shoulder Snivy landed in front of the little otter, staring down his nose at the water type. On his way down I could've sworn he lazily winked in my direction. "Three on three huh?" Cheren muttered his eyes shifting between Snivy and Tepig, the latter scraping its front hooves readying to charge.

"Okay Tepig get Snivy!" Bianca shouted getting down to business, the pig charging in with surprising speed sending the lizard Pokémon flying. Cheren and Oshawott used the chaos to scratch the celebrating pig.

"Show em what you got Snivy!"

Pushing off against the wall with all his strength Snivy returned the favor with a headbutt at the speed of an incoming rocket, throwing the fire Pokémon to the furthest corner of the room, knocking over a plant in the progress. "Tepig!' Bianca yelled as the Pokémon reappeared looking rather shaken but fuelled to continue the battle.

During the Pokémon's combination of wrestling, growling, scratching and an occasional bite their trainers shouted instructions, some of them actually working others making the matter worse. At a certain moment Oshawott climbed a large bookcase and decided to throw its content at her rather unhappy opponents. When a particular large math book hit Snivy on the head I growled in anger, "A math book that's low Cheren!"

"All's fair in war!" he smirked, immediately turning his attention towards the battle as Tepig who practically ran on the walls smashed into the little otter.

"Strike!" Bianca exclaimed her Pokémon wiggling his tail, happy with the praise.

Snivy rather pissed off produced a slender vine whip smacking Oshawott followed by Tepig in the face. "Yeah! Follow it up with a left hook too Snivy!' I cheered punching the air as the lizard produced a second vine whip using it to throw random stuff across the room.

A rather fierce snap of Oshawott's sharp teeth forced Snivy to back off. "Nicely done Oshawott!" Cheren complimented.

"You okay Snivy?" I asked, a stoic flick of his leafy tail and a determined nod coming from the Pokémon almost as if he were saying, _I will be after beating those two._

Hissing in concentration the lizard lifted Biana's huge travelling bag from my bed, chucking it at a rather startled Tepig and Oshawott. Distracted by Bianca's loud cry of fear for her bag's contents Tepig tripped over his own paws knocking over a yelping Oshawott. The otter unable to move growled, as Tepig found himself squashed by what had to be his trainer's complete wardrobe. His weight added to the weight of the bag almost flattened a defeated Oshawott.

_Even Reshiram and Zekrom would feel it if you had the guts to smack them on the head with something like that_. I thought as we eyed the result.

"Oh dear!" Bianca yelled digging up the groaning Pokémon hugging him to her chest, Cheren already muttering words of comfort to his Pokémon who had to take in the loss.

"Snivy you won! We won!" I yelled throwing my hands in the air as the slightly swaying Pokémon rose up to his full height, his eyes sparkling proudly despite his composed form.

* * *

><p>"Wow that was really intense." Bianca puffed taking a seat on my bed, "Did you see the way Tepig ran over the walls! He did great, no he was utterly awesome!" The fire Pokémon sitting next to Oshawott and Snivy snorted in agreement.<p>

"Err Bianca." Cheren surveying my ruined room gestured at the walls, footprints of all three the Pokémon clearly visible on the wallpaper. "Wow!" she repeated genuinely impressed with the Pokémon's talent to create a mess, "Pokémon are amazing aren't they? Such power stored in such little creatures!" she mused cringing as a frame containing a picture of the three of us fell to the ground.

Cheren cleaning his glasses shot her a look saying '_you are hopeless' _before tending to the Pokémon, he was the only one with the quickness of mind to buy some potions before battling using an untrained Pokémon.

"Some interior architects. They manage to trash rooms more accurate than rock stars." I laughed as the six of us set off cleaning my room with combined effort.

"No wonder Bianca's dad thinks you're a nutcase." Cheren scoffed unable to stop himself from pointing out his 'concern' for my mental health as I stopped him from erasing the three pairs of footprints left on the wall. "I think it's cute." Bianca said leaning on his shoulders unaware of the soapy water on her hands smudging his navy sport jacket.

"When we return from our journey through Unova our Pokémon fully evolved would like to see these too. It'll be nostalgic, you know like watching baby pictures?" I asked.

"Aaaw remember that cute picture of Cheren in the bathtub!" Bianca squealed risking her life by pinching his cheek.

"You were freakishly cute back then." I teased as the boy dodged the touchy blonds hands rubbing the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed. "When we return home your Snivy," he said nodding towards the uninterested lizard, who sat lounging on top of my cap, "will be a fully evolved Serperior. Meaning a snake-like Pokémon has no paws, feet or whatsoever."

"Uncool Kuro. By the time we get back Marron will have kicked your ass over a dozen times, isn't that right buddy?" I asked as Marron formerly known as Snivy grabbed the rim of my cap, suddenly appearing in my line of vision the smug smile on his face leaving no room for questions.

A huge smile appeared on Bianca's face, "You named him after the color of his eyes, that's so cute!" she squealed frowning her brow and scrunching her face in utter concentration.

"I can almost hear her brain working." I muttered to Cheren whose brows rose and disappeared behind his black bangs, "I was going for steam erupting from her ears but that'll do too." He replied as we put our heads together staring at the reddening blonde.

"Oreo!" she exclaimed clapping her hands in delight, "Ashe used Snivy's eyes, I use Tepig's nose, it's round like an Oreo!"

"We get it, Bianca no need to explain." Cheren mumbled burying his face in his hands.

"You should nickname Oshawott or she'll feel left out. Mark my words I have a nose for these kind of things." She said solemnly giggling as Oreo leapt in her arms and checked her nose for certain oddities.

"Like an Oreo." I snorted bursting into laughter as Cheren added, "No, her nose truly reassembles a pig's nose despite what she says."

Dodging several waves of water coming from the bucket in Bianca's hands and once again transforming my room into a war zone, the little blonde covering her nose chased after Cheren throughout the house aided by an agitated and snorting Oreo. Cheren followed Oshawott's helpful dodging-instructions yipped in a high pitched voice, obeying her as if she were the trainer and he the Pokémon.

"Stop her Saya!" he huffed, awkwardly dodging small puddles of water nicknaming Oshawott and halting Bianca.

"I knew I had a nose for these kind of things!" Bianca cheered raising her arms in triumph giving herself and Oreo an unexpected shower. Resting my hands behind my head I exchanged glances with Marron, the lizard in the middle of climbing my mother's curtains hissed in question.

_Are all your friends crazy? _He asked swinging back and forth hanging by his tail.

* * *

><p>Justine by Customs: check it out on youtube!<p> 


	8. Lesson 8

**Lesson 8: A man of words and not of deeds, is like a garden full of weeds  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"NO, NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO!" Mr. Ferilli shouted, his utterly speechless daughter buried her face in Oreo's short fur. The piglet snorted angrily at the adult, a plume of black smoke trickled out of his nostrils sending out an obvious warning.<p>

Even a seasoned optimist, much like Bianca had a hard time not backing down after seeing the pulsing vein emerging from Mr. Ferilli's temple. Encouraged by the presence of her Pokémon and friends she stood her ground, and managed to keep her tears at bay, shrinking lower and lower as his voice grew louder.

_I can't believe he's doing this to me in front of my friends and Oreo, _she thought squeezing her eyes shut, bracing herself for a second wave of shouting.

"Look at that Pokémon Bianca!" the adult said shoving an accusing finger in a rather affronted Oreo's face, "He's as powerless as you are! Do you actually think that he'll be able to protect you? How will you take care of him, when you can't even take care of yourself? You hardly made it in time to see that friend of yours this morning, so being a trainer can't be THAT important to you!" His last words took an immediate effect. Cheren's words still fresh in her mind resurfaced and Bianca bowed her head, blonde bangs covering her eyes. Despite it being a low thing to say it still hurt and her confidence took a serious blow.

Her father always managed to lift over exaggerating to a whole new level. _He's so far past the line, that he couldn't even see it with binoculars! _I thought while positioning myself in front of Bianca, rising to my full height. The worked up adult accustomed to his daughter's small and weak form was in the right kind of mind to take a step back.

"Listen up old man!" I barked placing my hands on my hips, ignoring Cheren's groan of frustration and Bianca's loud gasp.

"You've been annoying me for ten years by now, and I'm not even your daughter, thank the Legendary Pokémon for that! The little image you have of your daughter makes me want to laugh in your face!" An awkward silence hung in the air, a speechless Mr. Ferilli opened and closed his mouth in a very fishlike manner, sheer surprise coming from his side allowed me to silence him. However judging by the growing anger in his eyes my time to vent was coming to an end quicker than I could say 'Tackle!'

In a flash of light Marron joined me, wrapping a thin vine whip around my wrist, urging me onwards. I shot him a sidelong glance and smiled. In life there were different kind of battlefields and it felt good to know that he was my ally.

"You truly believe that she has her head stuck in the clouds twenty four seven don't you? Well I'd like to see the look on your face when she returns with a whole team of Pokémon capable of kicking your sorry ass! Oreo won't be like you remember him, but he'll sure as hell remember you!"  
>With this I noticed Bianca was tugging my clothes, blushing fiercely I returned to the empty space next to Cheren, whispering to Bianca, "I'm sorry but it's about time he opened his eyes."<p>

"You just had to say something didn't you?" Cheren muttered through gritted teeth, his grey eyes fixed on Bianca, a weird expression on his face.  
>He would never admit it to his hard headed best friend, but she had handled the situation a lot like he would've done if she hadn't beat him to it.<br>_Hearing some kind of praise might be enough for her to turn the tables on her father. _He thought, a small smile on his face as he saw a glint of determination in her deep green eyes.

"I'm seventeen years old dad." Bianca said her tone firm and skipping the whole 'daddy' for once. "And I might not stand up for myself that often, I barely do, but I won't allow you to insult Oreo. The moment you lashed out to him was the moment I became one hundred percent sure of my cause. Or you wish me luck, wave me off with a smile, and make me the happiest girl in the world all at once, or you don't say a thing and just watch me leave. No matter what you decide, I Will Leave with my friends and Oreo."

The man remained silent, the whole argument had cost him ten years of his life and he found himself at a loss.  
>Unable to take the silence Bianca turned and with a loud "Humpf!" she stormed out of the house. Oreo snorted, accidently producing a jet of flames that set the kitchen table ablaze and left to follow his trainer, coiled tail in the air.<p>

Cheren muttering something to himself tossed a Pokéball allowing Saya to appear. The little otter extinguished the danger with a quick jet of water. In a split second she exchanged glances with Marron, who nodded, a small smirk on his face. Mr Ferilli's angered cries and Mrs. Ferilli's laughter accompanied us outside as Saya 'accidently' splashed Bianca's dad with a jet of icy cold water.

* * *

><p>"You told her to hit him with that water gun didn't you?" I asked, eyes wide as the lizard nonchalantly walked through a patch of grass, following Bianca and Oreo's footsteps, the color of his scales the perfect camouflage. "Little rascal." I muttered, giggling as a pleasured hiss reached my ears.<p>

"Makes two of us." Cheren admitted in a cold voice, quickening his pace as Bianca's retreating back appeared in front of us. The blonde halted, her arms folded across her chest protectively, professor Juniper's lab looming behind her. She was sobbing by now and practically threw herself in my arms, shoulders shaking violently.

"I can't believe I said that. I have to go back and apologize." She sobbed incoherently adding something along the lines of "Homeless…" and "Freeze to death."  
>Seeing her miserable like this, on the day she became a trainer nearly had me running back to her dad so I could yell some more.<p>

"Okay." Cheren sighed, the facial expression and slumped posture of someone about to do something completely out of character. "Don't interrupt because I won't be repeating myself." He said his words primarily addressed to me. "First you aren't weak. Silly yes, but weak never."

Bianca lifted her head and sniffed, wiping her eyes with the hem of her sleeve, "You are funny and always nice to everyone, your Pokémon will like you the moment they lay eyes on you." He continued avoiding her eyes, only glancing down as she giggled. "You'll have Ashe to help, and if you ask nicely I might consider training with you." I nudged him with my elbow and rolled my eyes, only Cheren managed to comfort and insult someone at the same time and got away with it.

"Okay." She hiccupped shaking her head, trying to cast off her anxiety, "Okay."

I put my arm around her shoulder, "Give yourself some credit once in a while B Ferilli. You do that and the world of Pokémon won't know what hits them."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Cheren muttered reluctantly joining in on the beginning of a group hug.

"And you won't freeze to death," I chuckled, "not with a fire Pokémon by your side. By the way Cheren, you got that smoke you asked for after al!" And with that all three Pokémon jumped in, Saya and Oreo hugged Bianca's leg yipping loudly, and pushed a rather reluctant Marron forward nagging him into handing the collection of wild flowers the three of them had collected.

"Let's go and meet the professor."

A teary Bianca smiled, Cheren sneezed and I yelled, "Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!" breaking into a run.

* * *

><p>After receiving a free Pokédex, five usable Pokéballs and a demonstration on how to catch Pokémon every rookie trainer would happily die for, I listed my seventeenth birthday as my best birthday in history.<p>

Cheren, who would suffer from a hernia, if he continued his series of bows to express his gratitude towards the professor bowed one last time before dashing through the thick grass.

"Head north and you'll reach Accumula Town, you might encounter some wild Pokémon so put those items I gave to good use! Remember the Pokédex's pages update automatically whenever you meet and catch a new Pokémon, so check it out occasionally. And don't forget when you catch a Pokémon,..."

"Weaken it before you throw a Pokéball, we know!" Bianca and I recited.

Okay, okay, seems you girls know the drill. Good luck!" Juniper said rubbing the back of her neck, her fluffly Minccino already waving goodbye.

Walking alongside Bianca, lazily enjoying the warm sun and an occasional sea breeze I listened to her talk about how cute Professor Juniper's Minccino was.  
>"I'm so going to catch one!" she chimed almost tripping over several tree roots that broke through the small path's surface. Marron in need of a rest after climbing every single tree we passed scampered on top of my baseball cap literally basking in the sun, using his leafy tail as a fan.<p>

"Where is Cheren?" I asked after a few minutes of silence in which I listened to the sound of my boots crunching against the underground.

"Of to catch some Pokémon of course. Did you see the look on his face when I suggested to take our first steps on Route 1 together?"

"He's crazy for running in this kind of weather. What's that saying? Oh yeah, it's not the destination, but the journey that counts! Reaching the Pokémon League isn't a hard thing to do, but reaching it AND being allowed to compete is something else! Next time he allows me to use his laptop I'll use that sentence as his desktop background, to make sure the message sinks in." I breathed, halting as we passed a huge apple tree.

Oreo ran head first into the tree and looked up expectantly, gaining a head ache instead of apples. Marron hissed in delight at his failed attempts but scowled as his vine whip proved to cut short when trying to reach the fruit. "What goes around comes around." I joked as he grudgingly climbed the tree throwing down apples as he went.

A high bark coming from a patch of tall grass caught our attention, and a rather pissed off Lilipup appeared from the thicket, a large bump the size of an apple on its furry head.

"CUTE!" Bianca squealed, turning to me with hands folded, ready to beg.

"Go ahead." I scoffed staring at the puppy furrowing my brow.

Despite their cute looks, Lilipup, and especially it's evolved form Herdier gave me a nagging, sad kind of feeling. I couldn't quite remember why though...  
>As a small child I loved the doglike Pokémon, but somewhere along the way something changed. <em>I must've outgrown them. <em>I thought still staring at the Pokémon.

"You sure?" Bianca asked, practically shaking with happiness.

"Yup I like cats better anyway. I don't do well with the drooling and all that jumping about."

"JIPPIEE! Go Oreo! Use Tackle!" The fire type flung himself towards the Lilipup. It dodged easily by jumping in the nearest shrub, taunting a snorting Oreo by wagging his fluffy tail.

"Toast him out of there Oreo!"

Taking a deep breath and releasing it infused with enough fire to set the whole forest on fire the Lilipup reappeared and ran around in circles trying to escape his own burning tail.

"Now's your chance Bianca!" I warned the already celebrating blonde, "Oh yeah!" she said snapping out of it, but still taking her time to retrieve a Pokéball from her bag and throwing it at the panicking pup.

The Pokéball shook a final time, Bianca and Oreo bursting out in cheers right on cue. "Ashe did you see! I caught a Pokémon!"  
>I nodded, my breathing hitched after stomping out the fire, "How about a battle?" I suggested.<p>

"Good idea, that way Dodger and I can get to know each other."

"Dodger?" I asked, "As in actually dodging?"

"Nope, Dodger as in Dodger, Bianca's Lilipup." She replied breezily releasing said Lilipup. The puppy sniffed Oreo's nose, the piglet seemed to check if they were still able to be friends after setting his tail on fire. Receiving a lick cleared all worries and Oreo trotted to the side settling down to watch the fight.  
>Marron, who stood calmly waiting for Dodger to make the first move shivered at the sight of the dog licking others, and shot him a glare holding the very obvious meaning <em>try licking me and you'll regret it dearly.<em>

"Let's do this Marron!" Trailing his long tail through the grass the Pokémon didn't even blink as he charged into Dodger hitting the mark, his stealthy movements surprising both me and Dodger. Shaking his furry head the pup recovered quickly, his tail wagging, "Lick him Dodger!" the improvised attack worked immediately, a panicked Marron running around in circles receiving a rather harsh tackle from the pup.

"Try confusing him!" I shouted. Marron changed his course, by zigzagging and jumping trees he managed to outrun the barking pup, eventually pinning the Pokémon to the ground with a loud 'smack'. After releasing the yipping dog and shaking paws, Bianca and I put our Pokémon inside their Pokéballs giving them the time to rest.

"I want to win a battle too! You already won twice!" Bianca whined sweating from walking uphill for about two hours. The sun had reached its highest point, warming my hair and neck, and our surroundings grew silent as all the Pokémon sought shelter from the sun. "Winning two times doesn't mean a thing. And Dodger had only just battled Oreo." I said standing doubled over resting my hands on my knees and gasping slightly.

"Who knew Accumula was that far away." Bianca huffed as we made our way downhill, the small town with a Pokémon Center and actual benches to sit on beckoned temptingly. A small stream carved its way mercilessly through the land. It ran alongside the unwinding road ahead and kept us company with its rushing sound, the mere presence of water had a soothing and cooling effect.

Arriving with throbbing feet and in desperate need of a shower Bianca and I approached Accumula Town, matching wide grins plastered on our face.

"Finally. I crawl faster." Cheren huffed, a sour look on his face, scrambling to his feet after sitting on the side of the road awaiting our arrival.

"You could've waited for us in a Pokémon Center." I said noticing his clothes. Though just fine to me, according to Cheren's clothing standards they looked rather messy, and if I didn't know him better I could've sworn he had rolled through the grass only seconds ago.

"What have you been doing?" Bianca inquired dusting of his shoulders examining a strand of violet colored hair pinched between her fingers.

"First things first." He said ignoring her questions and walking towards town, "Let's find a Pokémon Center and a place to spend the night."

Shrugging my shoulders to a puzzled Bianca I followed my friends, snorting as we passed an unsteady wooden sign that proclaimed 'Welcome to Accumula Town.'  
>"It should say, Welcome to Silent Hill, days without anyone getting killed 'zero'." I laughed as we crossed the center of the town, that turned out to be an open park-like area.<p>

"Sometimes you really exaggerate Ashe. I think it's cozy." Bianca replied waving at a small group of local children playing on the streets in a very carefree manner as hardly anyone seemed to own a car. She had been biting her tongue as soon as she saw the local people's clothing style, if the word style even applied to the things they wore.

"Nightlife here won't be very interesting." Cheren backed me up as he pushed open the Pokémon Center's double doors, a scowl on his face, "The staff should realize how useful automatic doors are in case of an emergency."

Entering the lobby of the Pokémon Centre a pink haired nurse approached us almost immediately, actually finding herself happy with trainers and their Pokémon in need of healing. Handing her five Pokéballs, (Bianca and I exchanged several glances at the sight of Cheren's mysterious new Pokémon) we turned our back on the counter and the expensive looking machines used for simple healing procedures.

I almost threw myself on the comfortable couch, stretching my legs and yawning wide. if I had to wait, I might as well make myself comfortable, and set on doing so I was just seriously considering how angry Cheren would get if I took my shoes off, when a second nurse spotted me and came over, scanning me from head to toe.

I lifted my head in surprise, aware of her eyes trailing my what had to be considered as super revealing clothes in this town.

"Excuse me Miss, but I think we have a delivery for you." The nurse said kindly, Bianca clearly straining her neck as her head snapped up from her magazine, and Cheren prying his eyes of his town map. "Your grandfather called two days ago, and had us look out for your arrival, wait here please." She continued disappearing behind the counter leaving through the same door as the first nurse had gone, leaving me curious as hell.

"Knowing my grandpa it could be anything." I said biting my lip in anticipation jumping slightly at the sound of wheels. The nurse now carrying a tray with five Pokéballs walked slowly along a pink Audino, keeping an eye on the object carefully placed on a medicine cart the Pokémon pushed towards us. Bianca and Cheren jumped to their feet as she carefully placed an oval egg about the size of a small football in my lap.

"Holy- is this for real?" I murmured minding my language in front of the nurse. "It's a birthday gift." She beamed handing me a Pokéball containing Marron and a pamphlet in the shape of an egg that said 'How to hatch and raise your egg from scratch.'

* * *

><p>"This is so cool." I muttered ten minutes later sitting on a bench in town, determined for the egg to soak up as much sun as possible.<p>

Trailing my hands along the egg's smooth, white surface, I once again wondered out loud what kind of Pokémon would hatch from it.

"Ooooh maybe it's a Legendary Pokémon!" Bianca chimed huddling closer almost expecting Reshiram himself to burst out of the egg.

"Bianca, when will you grow some brain cells. It's impossible for most of the legendary Pokémon to reproduce, that's what makes them legendary!" The black haired teen groaned in dismay, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose inspecting the egg yet again. "That grey and red zigzag stripe along the middle has to mean something though." Cheren muttered the tip of his nose nearly touching the egg's smooth surface.

"I hope I don't drop it…don't wanna get a scrambled egg..." I mused, instinctively shielding the fragile object with my body as two people ran past us at high speed, knocking Bianca off her feet in the progress. "Jerks!" the blonde yelled taking Cheren's extended hands to hoist herself up.

A small crowd that grew by the second huddled closer to a raised platform apparently listening to some sort of speech. "A cult?" I asked as I saw the mutual emotion on almost every bystanders face. A mixture of anger and shock.

"Definitely." Bianca agreed her eyes the size of saucers. "If you're caught wearing something like that in broad daylight you're either out of your mind or part of a cult."

I laughed, she had a point though, adult men and women wearing robes that resembled those of a medieval knight didn't really scream "normal!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Cheren muttered looking rather tense and already getting to his feet. I frowned at the expression on his face. Something that caught the black haired teen's attention and made my Ice-King childhood friend nervous had to be taken serious.

"Saya, Sherazade stay here please." Without even tossing their Pokéballs his Pokémon appeared out of nowhere in a flash of light. A happily chittering Saya now accompanied by an exquisite Purrloin huddled close to the egg and Bianca. The blonde released Oreo and Dodger, the two Pokémon blinked in surprise seeing the purple cat, and got acquainted before settling down on the bench.

"Go see what's happening, I'll stay here." Bianca said, Cheren's sudden tense behavior hadn't escaped her either.

"Okay, but Marron should stay with you in case those goons…Err where **is **Marron?" I asked crouching down to peek under the bench, seeing nothing but a disgusting collection of chewing gum attached to the bottom.

We spotted the tiny snake climbing a tree that overlooked the whole scene. "Typical Marron to claim front row seats." I muttered as Cheren and I fought our way through the crowd, hardly seeing or hearing anything. "Hush." Cheren hissed, tall enough to actually see what happened, filling me in on everything he saw.

An older man, definitely the superior among what had to be his group was pacing up and down the plaza talking at the same time. Untouched by the crowds growing anger he continued his speech. His baritone voice made me shiver despite the sun's warm rays, and my former frustration for not seeing a thing vanished along with the warmth on my skin. Cheren and I gasped along with the crowd as the man voiced out the words "Pokémon liberation."

Allowing the tense silence to lengthen the man resumed pacing up and down, his long robes billowing behind him and his hands clasped behind his back. I noticed how two rather tall men exchanged looks before detaching themselves from the scene, unimpressed or possibly too disgusted by the green haired man's speech.  
>Furrowing my brow I allowed them to pass, quickly focusing on the small part of the plaza visible to me, as the man spoke again.<p>

"I'm sure most of you believe that we _humans." _He spat the final word as if it were something dirty eyeing each and everyone in the crowd with a look of utter disgust,

"That we humans and Pokémon are partners. Equals even. But have you ever considered that we merely weigh them down? We command them, rob them of their freedom and eventually keep them from unlocking their true potential, all under the guise of 'being partners'. Consider the relationship between people and Pokémon…  
>If you believe what I believe, and feel what I feel we should live up to our responsibility and free every single Pokémon in the world. We, Team Plasma, sincerely appreciate your attention."<p>

With that he turned his back on the crowd's 'attention', that now consisted of angered people yelling insults, questioning his words, and left with his guard of honor.  
>A few people remained to talk for a while, shaking their heads as if waking from a deep slumber. Remembering their daily duties the crowd dispersed and scattered throughout town again. Some of them turning, disgruntled looks on their face, as a loudly yelling blonde ran towards the plaza waving her arms like a mad woman.<p>

"Bianca what happened?" I asked automatically checking the tree Marron occupied and counting the Pokémon hot on her tail, immediately noticing the absence of my newly gained egg.

"This is terrible….I'm so sorry! They just snagged it from me, I was too slow, before I even realized they, and, and…" with this her tears got the best of her, and she almost ripped her beret to shreds as she pulled it over her eyes.

"Cheren, you stay here." He opened his mouth to argue but I shot him a look over my shoulder, eyes blazing in fury before running of at top speed. He hadn't been pleased but the dark haired teen was smart enough to recognize a dangerous female if he saw one, catching Sherazade had given him a taste of female wrath.

* * *

><p>My anger rose as I spotted the two tall men from earlier casually holding the white egg as if it belonged to them. <em>They even have the guts to hang around after stealing something! <em>I thought my vision practically glowing red with fury.

"THAT'S MINE SO KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS TO YOURSELF!" I exploded ignoring the possibility of fighting through Pokémon and throwing myself full force at the shortest of the two that smirked, clearly unimpressed by a teenage girl's fighting skills.

"Watch it Jake, she might scratch you." His accomplice, who held the egg to his chest joked, sputtering on nothing but air as he saw how I landed my fist in his friend's face.

"Hand it over or you'll find yourself wishing you got the same treatment as Jackass-Jake over there!" I growled pausing to aim a kick at a very particular body part belonging to Jake, who yowled jumping about with one hand clenched to his bleeding nose.

In the amount of time it took me to turn my attention back to the remaining goon I received a painful blow to my stomach. I toppled over by the sheer force of it, cringing as he lifted his hands to hit me a second time. _Shit shit shit, this is gonna hurt. Smart move Ashe turning your back on the other guy, _I thought unable to move without getting sick to my stomach.

"Fuck! Jake get a grip we have to run!" Peeking through my eyelashes I spotted a furious Marron in the midst of choking the life out of Jake. Lifting the entire grown up male in what could only be the spur of the moment the tiny snake flung him towards his accomplice, reducing them to a pile of tangled arms and legs.

Landing sprawled out, my face flat on the ground but most importantly the egg secured in my outstretched hands I sighed in relief.

"Marron." I coughed, "You are the best, most awesome Pokémon ever." The tiny snake carefully climbed in my lap as I rolled over exposing my dust covered t-shirt.  
>I winced when I felt his weight on my stomach, and he hissed apologetically. His reddish brown eyes trailed towards the two men, a flicker of anger grew brighter and brighter as he imagined throwing the humans responsible for hurting his trainer of a building.<p>

"Don't worry he hits like a girl." I joked petting the yellow scales above his eyes, planting the seeds of a firm resolve in my heart and mind without realizing its consequences.

"Screw that green haired dude and those wig wearing morons doing his biddings. What he said might've made sense on a certain level, but it turned out to be rather messed up when put into practice. I love you, you know that right?" I asked giggling as the tiny snake snuggled against my chest and tickled my exposed neck with his leafy tail. "I don't know what all that hissing means but earning a hug from you must mean you like me too right?" I inquired as he pressed his head against the egg's surface listening closely.

"Everything alright in there?" I whispered, the anxiety in my voice turned into a high pitched "Gah!" as a green haired teenager suddenly hovered above me, his messy hair tied together in a ponytail trailed downwards.

"I'm capable of answering both of your questions." He said ignoring my outburst and closing his eyes for a second as if listening to something. His eyes snapped open boring into mine and he tilted his head to one side in a strange familiar kind of way.

"Do I know you?" I asked craning my neck to study his face. Unaware of the two slender Purrloin that trailed along his ankles staring in that peculiar way only felines seem to master.

* * *

><p><em>She looks so familiar. <em>N thought suppressing the urge to steal her cap so he could see just how long her hair truly was. Her Snivy catching his drift swiftly climbed her shoulders followed by her head, grabbing the two locks of her hair that seemed to naturally curl up, his whole demeanor screaming, _She's mine, back off._

Zero, who had recognized her scent almost immediately, shifted uneasy almost expecting that stinging smell of gunpowder to linger on her body.

_Still flowers and that something else,… I should be capable of recognizing it by now. However no gunpowder. Good._

Swishing his tail he realized the small lizard like Pokémon was staring down at him with a smug smirk on its face.

_Some respect might be in place hatchling. _Zero growled rather pleased with his feline form and the sharp fangs that came with it.

_I know when I'm ought to show respect, and I might consider doing so once I see your true form. Trickssster. _The last word was spoken with a deliberate hiss causing Zero to flatten his ears.

_Careful. _He spoke to N using the secret language the two of them had designed during their childhood, excluding the second taller Purrloin from their conversation, the feline's only reactions were a jaw breaking yawn and a knowing glow in his emerald eyes.

_Those two idiots who tried to steal her egg were new recruits, if she finds out we're the ones behind all of this she won't even consider talking to us. _N shot him a dry look, wordlessly communicating with his lifelong friend, a handy trick that had taken them years to perfect.

_I can take her on. _He said, a rather amused look on his face as he eyed the surprisingly long legged female, adding _with or without the help of a Pokémon that is._

Zero minding to act like a cat stopped himself from snorting and settled for a soft purr, switching to normal Pokémon speech he said _I believe in everything you do, but as a Pokémon I also know how fierce a female can be when the ones she considers family are being threatened. _

_She's very much like a female of my kind. _The second Purrloin commented locking his green eyes with blue, startled ones followed by intense pale green ones.

_Worth teasing just to see the expressions on that face of hers and to test the sharpness of her claws. You agree do you not? _The feline asked deceitfully coy, still managing to look innocent after voicing out N's exact thoughts.

_No wonder I prefer dogs. _He thought as the slightest of smiles tugged at his lips.


	9. Lesson 9

**Lesson 9: Challenge**

* * *

><p><em>It's where we have been, and the people we have met, that lead us to where we should be going, and to where we are needed the most.<br>__  
>Ashe.<br>_

* * *

><p>I believe that during certain moments in our life we choose a particular song that compliments it. Like a soundtrack of our life,… it can be anything.<p>

Sad. Happy. Loud. Upbeat. Melancholic. Utter nonsense… You name it.

Everybody has countless soundtracks during a lifetime. It's a song you utterly adore for a certain amount of days, months, even years. You never grow tired of it. Despite listening to it on a daily base you still love it. But then a day comes on which the song doesn't seem to touch you as much as it managed to do the day before. You still like the song, it hasn't changed, the words, the melody, all remained the same, but you didn't. In life we have soundtracks colored in different hues.  
>What is the color of a happy memory? Which shade fits a bad dream?<p>

A Saddening Blue. Glowing Yellow. Melancholic Grey. Utter Nonsense Orange.

You don't have to like music, you can hate art, but you still have it… The boy in front of me somehow hadn't, and I knew that although he would deny it to the fullest, he was troubled by it. He was deaf to the music in people and shied away from the color they possessed. I knew he was troubled by it, and I knew he was trouble.

* * *

><p>I blinked in surprise and stared at his outstretched hand, seriously doubting if I should grab a hold of it or not.<p>

"You can't hear them. That's sad." He stated not in the least disturbed by my lack of words, the look he gave me a mixture of boredom and pity, while trailing his other hand through his messy hair, making the tangled mess even sloppier.

For a second I wondered if he was talking to himself. He seemed to go out of his way to avoid looking at me directly, and fumbled nonstop with a weird cube like thingy that hung around his neck in a manner that reminded me of myself handling the black bands around my wrists.

_I hope I don't look as agitated as he does when he plays with that necklace… He talks like a mad man… And he doesn't seem to know about eye contact either… Weird guy…_

Lost in thoughts I didn't notice the impatient glint in his eyes, with a sigh of frustration he reached down, already on the verge of pulling me up. His body went rigid as I sprung to my feet without his aid and faced him head on staring into his eyes in search of color. A soft green conjured a huge grin on my face.  
>The boy flinched, his pupils dilated noticeable causing the black color to erase my reflection from his green eyes. A little scowl appeared on his face, my refusal of help, although it being unintentional, seemed to annoy him a lot. I noticed his eyes flitted between his outstretched hand and the patch of concrete I had occupied only seconds ago.<p>

"Next time I fall on my ass I'll make sure to accept your help." I suggested sheepishly, readjusting my clothes.

"And why is that?" he inquired sounding reluctant to speak, his tone rushed and unsteady.

I narrowed my eyes in disbelief, "Because you're looking rather…lethal… As if you'd throw me down just because you can, and so you could **consider** helping me up afterwards."

He deliberately averted his eyes and I seized the moment to study his features. Positively every sane, breathing girl in the world would have to admit that he was rather gorgeous in a unique and fascinating kind of way. He, along with millions of other male teenagers wore a black and white baseball cap that looked a lot like mine, however he was one of those seldom males who got away with wearing one.

_I don't want to know how many 'how's the weather up there' jokes he has heard already. _I thought stifling a loud snort as I noticed that I hardly reached his shoulders.

Noticing the puzzled look on his face, I shot him a 'Don't mind me' look bending down to eye level with the largest of the two Purrloin, marveling at the tapered violet marking above his emerald eyes. "I have to admit, you have one handsome Purrloin." I said following the cat's sickle shaped tail as it lashed through the air, clearly showing off.

The feline produced a loud kind of purr and the green haired teen chuckled out loud. I shot him a questioning look, "Purrloin says he likes you." He commented promptly, scratching his nose.

I wrinkled mine, and stared up into the boy's eyes in challenge, "Let's just say I know in what direction to stroke a cat." I said, hesitating a moment before adding, "And that purr sounded a lot longer than a simple 'She's okay.' It's rude to gossip you know, especially in a different language."

The weird teen seemed to weigh me for a few seconds before answering my question with a shrug, "Only females gossip, and it doesn't count as gossip if there aren't any mean things said."

"Potato patato." I scoffed, awkwardly stretching my hand out to the feline's large head, scratching behind his ears with an affectionate smile on my lips.

Marron who had kept quiet hissed loudly as the second Purrloin peeked behind his trainer's long legs, and I felt how his slender body tensed.

"He doesn't seem to like me that much." I pointed out with a nod towards the scrawny feline that flattened his twitching ears.

"He's angry because something could've happened to the Pokémon inside the egg. He says you're irresponsible." The tall boy said in a blunt manner, completely inconsiderate of my feelings or the possibility of hurting me with his words. Somehow his harsh words didn't bother me, and I realized I wouldn't like it one tiny bit if he turned out to be one of those notorious ladies men who talked big all the time.

"Oh." I said, unable to stop myself from growing red in the face after receiving a lesson on mothering from a teenage boy, "He's right then. I thought he didn't like humans because of his… you know that scar on his eye."

The scarred Purrloin's expression closed the instant the words left my mouth, and his human friend glanced down with a guarded look.  
>I could feel the tension in the air, almost as if they were communicating wordlessly. Pokémon speech or not, the nature of their conversation definitely wasn't a pleasant chat regarding the weather, that much was clear.<p>

The tall green haired teen's mouth tightened into a thin line, and the moment he moved closer I took a step back, making sure that the distance separating us remained unchanged. Marron stealthily jumped to the ground, blocking the teen in his path and speaking to him in Pokémon speech that contained a series of high chirps. After a particular long sentence coming from the tiny snake his green eyes bored into mine. Moving too fast for me to even take a breath he turned on his heel creating an open field with a lone Marron in the middle.

"Your Pokémon say the most unbelievable things. Even the one inside the egg and especially your Snivy he -"

"Marron." I interrupted unable to help myself from cutting him short, "Err…He's called Marron." I continued pointing very unnecessary towards the tiny snake that nodded curtly and hissed in response.

The teen shook his head and no longer averting his gaze he stared into my eyes, blinking slowly. "You can't hear them…" he repeated his foot twitching as if he had to stop himself from moving closer yet again.

"Off course I can." I smiled, putting my nose in the air, and secretly standing on tiptoe (Even from afar he was ridiculously tall).

"I hear Marron as clear as I'm hearing you right now. I hear him but I don't understand what he's saying, that's something very different you know." I stated arching a brow.

"What's your name?" he asked bluntly, his question a demand not a request.

"My name?" I inquired plucking at a wristband an idea already forming in my mind, "My name is mine, but if you ask Marron he might tell you."

The teen pondered that for some time a knowing smile on his face, "You're testing me."

"Yep." I chimed rather pleased with myself.

"Hm. So you don't believe I can speak to Pokémon?" he asked his pupils dilated and narrowed to cat like slits in mere seconds.

"I'm just checking if you're not one of those all bark and no bite kind of persons." I replied lightly, tightening my grip on the egg in my arms and sharing a knowing look with Marron. "You don't act like someone who's on drugs, so either you're utterly bonkers or you are telling the truth."

My opponent's displeasure only grew as an amused purr reached his ears, "Why would I be on drugs?" he asked his gaze leveled upon me with noticeable irritation.

"Because most people who claim that they're able to talk to Pokémon are!" I laughed enjoying his bickering mood.

"You're embarrassed by it." He interjected, his hoarse voice light, and a half smile on his face as he noticed my reddening cheeks.

"Interesting." He murmured interpreting my sudden shyness as an affirmation to his presumption.

Green eyes took on a sparkle of pleasure and he started pacing back and forth puling at the chain around his neck.

_The guy likes a good riddle, _I thought seeing how his excitement provided a new spring to his footsteps.

"You don't look like one of those unfortunate human beings named after a town or a region, so maybe it's something old fashioned…" He declared mumbling to himself with his brow furrowed. The small crease between his brows deepened reminding me very much of myself during math. Upon seeing this I had to hide a small smile, the word 'cute' sprung into my mind and I quickly pushed it aside. I wasn't the kind of girl who went al mushy over a guy I barely knew, enough dating experience and being friends with Cheren had learned me how annoying a constantly giggling girl could be.

"Ashe."

My heart started at the sound of my name, and a look of utter surprise gave me away immediately. Folding my arms across the egg I scowled in dissatisfaction, Marron turned and shot me a solemn look, he definitely hadn't told him, and excluding Marron meant only one Pokémon who knew my name remained.

"Why you little telltale." I whispered to the egg in an amused kind of tone. My heart was beating wildly by now, _he's the real deal, _I thought eyeing the teenager, feeling rather exposed, almost as if he had read my heart through the opinion Pokémon had on me.

"It's a…-"

"Boy's name. I know, but I like it" I interrupted the smug looking teen, daring him to laugh.

A million dollar smile appeared on the boy's face, one of which I could've sworn had halted the strawberry blonde girl wearing heels, and a skirt that left no room for imagination that walked past.

"I was about to tell you the identity of the Pokémon inside the egg, but I guess you don't want to know."

I hardly managed to stay silent for about five seconds before I consciously sprung the trap, though not in the manner he would've liked.

"I don't want to know." I said haughtily but truthful. Something in the way our weird 'conversation' flowed bugged me. It felt like he pushed me in the direction he preferred, as if he had it all planned out in a very math-like manner. A series of possible answers coming from me seemed to be stashed in his mind, and he was simply waiting to confirm his opinion. Feeling happy that none of my genuine answers matched the ones he expected I caught myself going left while he tried to push me right.

Marron swishing his leafy tail pinned me with his trademark stare, a mixture of amusement, smugness and that ever present hint of superiority.

_Whimsical. _I almost heard him say the word instead of the "Tsk' sound he made.

"Whimsical." I grumbled, the character trade stickier than a bug types string shot, "Maybe so."

* * *

><p>On the other side of the clearing N froze, his heart thrumming rapidly produced the amount of beats it had done during a whole lifetime in mere seconds.<p>

_Easy N. _Zero whispered recognizing the storm of emotions swirling in his friend's eyes.

His concern grew as he noticed the strong hold the male had on the chain around his neck. Despite it being human made, making it cold but sturdy, the otherwise treasured trinket was reaching its breaking point.

"Easy? How can I take it easy when she understood that Pokémon? Zero…she's like me…"

The fake feline flinched, and fox like traits emerged as Zero sniffed the air heavy with the female's floral scent.

_She read his body language N, that's all there is to it._

"I'll test her. See if she's worthy." His eyes darkened aggressively, a surge of childlike possessiveness and interest surged as he eyed the oblivious brunette.

Stepping forward while flexing his retractable claws Zero readied himself for the coming fight, "No. I'll use Purrloin." N stated bringing the illusionary feline to an abrupt halt, its eyes trailing the second taller feline that already had its purple fur on end increasing his height effectively. Tearing his eyes of the long legged female in front of him N answered Zero's burning stare. "Trust me." He said, his heart no longer beating rapidly, his stance calm and collected.

Deaf to orders Purrloin sprung towards the distracted snake on velvet paws, the only sign giving him away was the glistening of his claws, and honestly speaking seeing his claws wouldn't help the Pokémon one tiny bit.

* * *

><p>Startled shitless I witnessed the skin tearing scratch coming from the teen's graceful feline. "What's your problem!" I yelled angrily as Marron yowled in pain, inspecting the thin lines on his scales.<p>

"A battle." The teen stated, his expression concealed under the rim of his cap.

"I can see that!" I yelled angrily, "What happened to a little heads up?"

"Purrloin just gave you one." Was the only reply I got before the fierce battle in front of me demanded my full attention.

A scowling Marron in the midst of an improvised dodging maneuver hissed in exasperation waiting for guidance. "He's fast Marron, so this time we won't be using your speed but your power!"

The tiny snake hissed and slammed himself head first into the agile cat ready to throw the feline against the nearest bench. "Take him with you Purrloin!" The teenager instructed and with a bizarre dexterity Purrloin used his front paws to grab Marron's tail, using the startled snake to cushion the impact with the wooden bench.  
>Both Pokémon were swaying slightly by now, but it was obvious that the attack had hurt Marron the most.<p>

"Your Snivy's voice is weakening already. See it as proof that Pokémon are weakened due to their relationship with humans." He said raising a brow as Snivy yelled at him between heavy gasps of breath. "Let's finish this. Purrloin use scratch, aim for the wounds you inflicted earlier. Snivy won't be fast enough to evade you. "

"HIS NAME IS MARRON!" I yelled gritting my teeth with enough force to break them, while following the hissing Purrloin's claws. "Allow him to get close, and then give him a taste of his own medicine!"

Bracing himself for the incoming collision the grass type anchored himself to the ground with his vine whip, mimicking a tree that stood hunched over during a storm. The feline's claws scraped against glittering scales, the feral grin on Purrloin's face froze upon seeing Marron's cold glare. With a loud cry the snake threw the cat upwards, grabbing the feline and stopping it from turning in mid air to land on all fours. Wrapping a slender vine whip around the Pokémon's body, Marron threw his opponent into the ground with enough force to create a cloud of dust. Only after the dust settled revealing a conscious but defeated Purrloin did Marron retract his vine whip, giving the green haired teenager a long hard stare through his pointed nose before trotting back to my side, sitting in a patch of sunlight, eyes closed.

"You did great, I'm very proud of you." I whispered leaving the egg in his care and making sure I didn't block his sun as I made my way towards the shaken Purrloin.

It turned its back on me and his scythe shaped tail almost hit me in the face. "It's not just good looks you posses." I complimented leaving the agitate feline with its dented ego. After al nobody actually enjoyed losing and aside from the stunning feline there was another troublesome creature to talk to.

"I never expected Pokémon to say such things." He mused out loud, more to himself and the second Purrloin than to me.

Stopping right in front of him, I gazed up with a stubborn look on my face. "I've come to claim my prize." I said placing my hands on my hips, refusing to feel troubled by the intensity of his gaze.

"Ah. I'm not surprised." He stated with a sigh of disappointment, "You probably want to know what your Snivy said." He continued deliberately ignoring Snivy's given name.

"No I don't. So stop putting words into my mouth before I choke on them." I snapped, yet again annoyed by his habit to label me. The teen blinked in awe, and for a second I expected his mouth would drop. "What is it you want then?" he inquired fumbling with the chain around his neck.

"Your name."

His mouth actually dropped open this time and I chuckled, "You're not embarrassed by it aren't you?" I pushed on, a crooked smile on my face, receiving a scowl in return.

The nameless teenager closed his eyes before answering, "It's N." He said analyzing my reaction with squinted eyes, trying to anticipate my next action.

A flicker op surprise appeared on my face before I managed to brush it aside, (in my defense you didn't meet a person who's name contained a single letter every day), ignoring the obvious pseudonym I nodded and stuck out my left hand,

"It's been… err, interesting to meet you N." I decided, amused as he too presented his left hand, copying my move with a look of utter concentration on his face.

_Weird guy… _I thought sneaking a peek through my eyelashes and loosening my grip on his cool skin only to realize his fingers were wrapped around my wrist in a steel tight grip. Shifting uncomfortably I tried to break free, "Can I have my hand back please?" I asked politely trying my best not to wince as he tightened his hold.

A tiny part of my mind rung in alarm, _He wouldn't, no he can't hurt me, not in front of dozens of people. If he tries anything funny I'll hit him, or scream as hard as I can. _Settling on the idea of doing both simultaneously I braced myself, filling my lungs with enough oxygen to scream for about half an hour. An offended squeak escaped from my lips when N harshly turned my hand palm up, his eyes halted and darkened for a split second.

His lanky Purrloin smoothly sprung onto our linked arms settling down on N's side piercing me with icy blue eyes, entwining his scythe shaped tail with the boy's skinny arm.

_Wait a minute… _I swallowed, a toothy grin appeared on the Pokémon's face as soon as the expression of shock appeared on mine.

"Your Purrloin!" I spoke unable to stop myself from inching closer, almost as if the Pokémon and his trainer silently urged me on. There was something so annoyingly familiar to those eyes, the way the feline's beautiful purple fur clashed with the aqua blue color almost begged me to notice.

"Ashe!" Bianca and Cheren's voices rung through the air, and I froze. N narrowed his eyes and studied my reaction. Purrloin mewling something shifted nervously and stalked closer, balancing on our arms as if it were nothing. "As long as Pokémon are confined in Pokéballs…They'll never become perfect beings." N said staring over my head, obviously expecting Cheren and Bianca to turn up. "Pokémon are my friends… because of that I have to change the world… "

"Pokémon and humans weren't build for perfection." I answered extracting a look of faint wonder from the tall teen, "We're flawed, and because of that we're…compatible." I continued a deep frown on my face that proved I obviously doubted my own theory. The feline hissed and moved closer, the tip of his nose almost touched mine, "What's he saying?" I asked blinking quickly to stop my eyes from watering.

"He says you'll be troublesome. I agree. You should run."

"Run?" I repeated as his tall form blocked out the setting sun and covered me in shadow.

"Yes. Run. Run. Run. As fast as you can."

The feline disappeared with a swish of its tail.

I managed a forced smile and nodded pointedly towards his hand restraining me.

He leaned in close. Stopping me from fighting back he whispered in my ear, "Because I've killed before. And I'll do it again."

_Fuck.  
><em>  
>Obeying the sudden need to put as much distance between myself and the strange teen I shoved my free hand against his chest as hard as I could.<br>There was nothing wrong with being a bit eccentric, yes his name was N and he could talk to Pokémon. Weird, but acceptable, even interesting. However stating the fact that you were a killer with a look of pure innocence on your face was borderline creepy.

N who had been waiting for that specific moment loosened his grip on my wrist, his long fingers lingering on my skin, the touch sent shivers down my spine.

For a second time that day I found myself sprawled out on the ground.

"Crap, crap, double crap!" I cursed. Marron, no longer dozing off in the sun woke with a start, his head hovered above mine, together with Cheren's scowling face and a sniffling Bianca who had to be dehydrated by now from al the crying she had done.

"I got my ass kicked!" I managed looking up at two shocked humans, one hissing lizard and an utterly amused feline.

"You lost a battle?" Cheren inquired loftily hardly containing the smirk on his face

"Somebody touched your butt?" Bianca shouted misunderstanding my words, reddening as Cheren buried his face in his hands and advised the people who walked by to please continue doing so.

* * *

><p><em>What's gotten into you! <em>Zero hissed, fur on end, his agitation clearly ignored by the scrawny teen who stood unmoving, back pressed against the rough wall of a convenience store staring at the rumpled brunette from a safe distance

_You wouldn't have lost if I were the one to fight that cocky little snake. We had everything under control but then you just had to go and act on your own didn't you! We were supposed to lay low…You silly human!_

The Pokémon's last insult had been a cheap shot, mimicking the teen's father degrading manner of speech always agitated his friend. This time was no different.  
>N clicked his teeth together with an audible snap waiting for his friend to cease his rambling. His Darmanitan back home had to teach Zero the principals of Zen Mode, otherwise the agitated fox would be the one to blow their cover sooner or later.<p>

"Hush Zero, I can't hear what they're saying because of your purring." N said enjoying the aftermath of his words before continuing, "The way you act doesn't exactly radiate being in control you know." He stated furrowing his brow upon seeing how the black haired teen offered Ashe his hand.

N decided he didn't like him the moment the blue eyed girl allowed him to hoist her to her feet. _Oh his hand she accepts… _He thought allowing a small smile on his lips as he saw how Purrloin followed the group of trainers, sticking particularly close to a dust covered Ashe who had her arm around the short blonde.

"Let's go Zero, father expects a report on the effects of his speech." He said, happy with what he had seen and already looking forward to receiving a report himself from the feline on his involuntary new owner.

"You too have some explaining to do." N said coldly as they left town unnoticed, turning their backs on the soft glow of the streetlights that had sprung to life mere seconds ago and trading it for the moon's soft glow. Zero, who had dropped his illusion the moment they left town looked up at his trainer, the glare he received in return made him lower his ears.

_it was an accident, the moment I looked into her eyes they reminded me of mine and being reminded of my own eyes…falters my concentration._

N didn't answer, purposely lengthening the silence, wordlessly pressuring the fox to continue. His story made sense, but somewhere in the back of his mind it felt as if his oldest friend was lying…

_Rubbish._ _Pokémon never lie, they can't, it's not in their nature. _He argued with himself turning the black wristband he had stolen in his hands before shoving it in his pockets.

He wished he could switch off his thoughts just as easily. He almost wished the girl had disappointed him, humans were simple, they made sense in a logical kind of way. She didn't, he could see it in her eyes, pure but wild at the same time.

_An unsolvable equation. Good thing I like a challenge._


	10. Lesson 10

**Lesson 10: Curiosity killed the cat  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Whoa! Warn me before you decide to do that again!" I huffed, quickly edging away from the surprising cold touch a feline nose possessed.<br>The culprit, his demeanor relaxed almost sleepy pinned me with a glare of his own before settling emerald eyes on my exposed back.

"Nearly done scrutinizing my privacy? I have some neat freckles on my shoulders if you're that interested." I teased before disappearing into a cloud of steam, a lingering result from a nice hot shower.

Marron had positioned himself rather strategically in the middle of the bathroom, enjoying the make shift sauna my shower provided him with, while basking in the last remaining rays of sun that filtered through the small window of our Pokémon Centre room (kudos to Cheren for thinking ahead).

"Since mum isn't here to nag about my excessive use of hot water we better enjoy ourselves. Meaning drain the Pokémon Centre!" I shared letting the shower run for no one in particular earning myself a lazy wink through half lidded maroon eyes.

Rejoining Purrloin on the bed after donning my favorite sleeping gear, which consisted of an extra large tshirt with a picture of a Snorlax saying 'Relax', I sat myself on the annoying task of untangling my wet hair, breathing a series of sighs as one particular knot proved to be quite a challenge.

"It's an old scar." I informed, answering the implied question rather reluctant, gesturing towards my back.

"I remember every single scar, you know? They're like my war trophies! Or… gym badges." I explained trying to use an example that might be of importance to the feline.

"Anyway the one you singled out turns out to be my only exception."

The cat nodded listening closely as I ticked of my list of scars, every single one of them came with a story in which I often played the part of an overactive, clumsy child. As our conversation carried on and the hour grew later the four of us (The Pokémon inside the egg had turned out to be quite the telltale so I knew he had to be listening) lost all traces of reserve we had around each other.

Marron and Purrloin proved to be patient listeners, I told them more about myself than I ever told anyone, and even though I couldn't understand a word they said when one of them would burst out in a stream of clear Pokémon speech, I knew that what I said mattered to them, and what they said mattered to me.  
>'<em>Equals' <em>I thought, happily brushing Purrloins fur, taking my sweet time after taking ages to coax him into it.

I've never been particularly interested in dolls or stuffed animals, even as a child it seemed rather pointless to carry a lifeless, dare I say often ugly looking, dust attracting piece of fabric or plastic.  
>My mum and even Bianca never really understood how my small collection of stuffed animals ended up on the floor every single morning. Bianca often said they would be sad from being neglected, Cheren often said that the stuffed animal she carried around everywhere was a germ factory.<p>

It were these thoughts that drove me into mentally measuring the bed, "I might have to warn you guys, but I'm a real… active sleeper." I confessed scratching the back of my neck.  
><em><br>Any idea what the silly thing means? _Purrloin asked eying the wild haired girl, staring even harder as he noticed her reddening cheeks and the way she toyed with her hair.

The human had managed to lead him into one surprise after the other, the feline had to admit that even his own behavior around her had been almost unacceptable. Females were easily fooled, all it took were a few good or cute looks, and as a feline Purrloin knew how to exhibit and exploit these traits.

'_With her these things aren't even necessary, she happily offers her trust. Naïve whelp.' _The cat thought shaking his head and tuning in on the lizard's voice.

_Even you must have noticed by now that Ashe can be quite… enthusiastic. _Marron offered narrowing his eyes as the feline huffed in response. The cat obviously had noticed the girl's lively personality.

_Grass types… always so diplomatic. _Purrloin answered his long tail slowly twitching.

_Active during daytime might mean the same for nighttime, that's all I'm saying. _Marron answered promptly, heedless of the feline's little remark, quickly adding his own by saying, _You are the dark type and the feline, so by all means enlighten me._

With what had to be the most smug look Purrloin had ever seen the reptile obediently jumped off the bed, hissing a quick, _you know you like her. _Before listening to the human girl's request and lifting the mattress from its metal construction, using those wretched vine whips.

_A talkative female whelp and a smug reptile. N's in for it next time I see him.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"A sleepover" I exclaimed cheerfully to a grumpy looking Cheren sending him my own version of Bianca's trademark puppy dog look and trying my hardest not to laugh with the way he squinted his eyes.<p>

After listening to someone knocking the door to his room for what had to be ten whole minutes, the dark haired teen had to admit that:

1. He had some annoying friends.  
>2. Ashe's pleading look was rather hard to ignore.<br>3. He was going to give in.

"Thank god I'm not wearing my glasses, I thought her traveling clothes were already bad enough." He pondered pinching the bridge of his nose while trying to keep his eyes from her long skinny legs.

"Is it just me or am I the only one who's actually seventeen years old?" he yelled to her retreating back, feeling like the biggest pushover.

"Yes and it's just you who manages to act as if he's already ninety! Do tell if you need help with your mattress." I teased sticking out my tongue while rapping on Bianca's door which opened almost instantly.

It didn't take long to persuade the bubbly blonde, and only half way down the hall did we realize that maybe nurse Joy wouldn't appreciate us redecorating her rooms and that our loud outbursts of laughter might just wake the other trainers spending the night in the Pokémon Centre.

My poor single room only meant to be occupied by one person had to swallow three pyjama-clad teenagers that each came with a mattress, pillow, and sheets.  
>To top it all of not one but three Pokémon excluding an egg and a cranky feline were busily discovering the joy of jumping on makeshift beds.<br>By the time the sound of voices both human and Pokémon had died out it was already early in the morning. Bianca and I were all in for pulling an all-nighter, it was Cheren and his 'little piece of news' that send the whole room in state of what could only be described as hushed panic.

Bianca in the midst of French braiding my hair gave me a rather painful pull, "You did WHAT?" she spluttered with a quick glance at the sleeping Pokémon.

"Cheren you know I always considered you as a smart person right? A freakin' genius. Well I take it back, you dumbass, couldn't you spill the news after Bianca finished braiding my hair? Practically scalped me." I grumbled massaging my head.

"You were in on this?" she growled jumping to her feet and failing miserably at pacing the cluttered room. "I'm not ready to challenge the Striaton City gym leader!

Knowing me I'd get lost in that stupid city… It's not even a city…. Crap now I'm blabbering and I blame you two!" she hissed nearly poking Cheren in the eye.

"Hey don't you start bailing on me! Use that…positive energy! Attack him. Smother him with a pillow, pull his hair I heard that works" I smirked upon seeing the panic on Cheren's face.

"I'm not happy with either one of you right now!" she stuttered throwing herself on the sheets and pillows quietly disappearing from view.

Poking the small pile of misery I moved closer and ruffled her blonde hair, "Knowing you, and your lack of confidence Oreo will be an Emboar by the time you realize how awesome you are." I said gently before claiming the mattress placed between Bianca and Cheren.

Reaching for the egg, snugly wrapped in sheets which were warmed by Oreo's flames (our first attempts at teaching Oreo how to perform that particular little trick had ended with lots of fire, smoke and screaming) I curled into a ball happily sharing my body heat.

"She won't get a wink of sleep you know." Cheren said rolling on his side so he could face me.

"Come on, I'm not that bad, yes I talk in my sleep, maybe an occasional kick or punch in the face but-"

"Ashe"

"I'll make sure she's ready, have to get ready myself anyways." I whispered keeping my voice low and closing my eyes.

* * *

><p>"Come on Bianca Slowpoke Ferilli!" I panted running on Route 2 barely keeping up with Marron and Purrloin.<br>Both Pokémon ran with an almost ridiculous fluidity and seemed to be enwrapped in a competition of their own.

"Endurance today guys! Not breaking the sound barrier!" I yelled as their speed increased to a level impossible for a human to keep up with.

"Kill me now." Bianca groaned as she sat on a smooth stone stretching her legs with a wince and assisting Oreo in doing the same.

Our work out was followed by one on one fighting skills, Marron eager to face his type disadvantage agreed on dodging only and allowed the piglet to ambush him with scorching fire. The amount of attacks actually hitting the target became almost nonexistent and Oreo managed to breath fire for fifteen seconds on end.  
>Panting heavily both Pokémon sat down with a satisfied expression on their face.<p>

"Still think you're not ready?" I asked accepting the bottle of water Bianca handed me. She smiled rueful pouring another bottle inside a bowl and setting it down in front of the Pokémon. "Dunno, maybe if Oreo and I could battle you and Purrloin? I want to see how we fare without the type advantage."

"Might be a good idea, the Striation gym likes to put new trainers to the test by creating a type disadvantage. I'll have to ask Purrloin though, he isn't really 'mine', and knowing cats he'll just come and go as he pleases."

I should have kept my big mouth shut

Scanning the area in search of the feline I registered with a painful pang in my heart that said Pokémon had already disappeared from the scene.  
>Eying the tall trees I hoped to spot a stealthy purple cat with a haughty expression on his face huddled in the leafy canopy.<p>

I paced back and forth much like Bianca had done a few hours ago. Smothering the urge to yell the Pokémon's name I allowed Bianca's calming words to reach my ears.

"Maybe he went back to the Pokémon Centre, or saw some other Purrloin, he'll come back Ashe don't worry." She said running along the way to spot the road ahead leading towards Striaton City.

By nightfall said 'Don't worry' had increased into an irregular heartbeat and stinging pains in my chest.  
>Toying with the remaining wristband I was wearing I cursed whimsical felines, useless police officers who laughed heartily with a case of a lost wild Pokémon, N and most importantly myself.<p>

Cheren, in true mr. Ferilli style had locked me inside after catching me wincing in pain once too often.

Busting myself out with the help of a hairpin and once more a series of colorful words, I stepped out on the street daring the few people that walked past to laugh at my sleeping attire and the fact that I had a Snivy attached to my baseball cap.  
>"You'd think I didn't put on shorts. Shouldn't they be in bed or something. Sheez." I huffed puffing my cheeks.<p>

* * *

><p>N sat perched on the highest point in the city finally enjoying the view now that most humans had disappeared from it.<p>

_You got to give it to them, humans manage to build some interesting things. _A familiar slightly sneering voice said.

N narrowed his eyes turning towards two glowing emerald dots that joined him on his pedestal.

"Cavemen used to build interesting things too, I would love to hear your opinion on _those." _The young king remarked with a wide gesture towards the softly glowing town in front of them as if he were showing of his kingdom.

Purrloin yawned, flashing an impressive set of fangs. _Isn't there one particular human that managed to catch your attention?_ he asked coyly.

Propping his chin on his hand N decided to feign ignorance, the sleek feline locked in on his prey and moved in closer, _If she were feline she would be a menace.  
><em>Pleasantly surprised with the young king's ability to erase every expression from his face Purrloin decided to reveal some more about the human female.

_She wears the weirdest clothes._

"I already knew that. I have eyes you know." N answered with a smile tugging at his lips.

_Yes so do I, superior eyesight if you don't mind me saying so. And I see something rather interesting. I'm not just talking about the female whelp. _The cat purred swishing his tail from side to side.

N returned to being unreadable, but took in every detail the cat felt like sharing, discovering that he quite liked the feline's point of view,

'after all it's an awfully vain species. That tshirt is something I would like to see for myself though.' He thought trailing a lone figure that moved on the streets in an irregular pattern. He should've known that the feline had kept the best for last, his loyal servants always kept the best for last during their reports.

_She doesn't realize that I saw but I couldn't help but notice… She has freckles on the small of her back_

If N had been drinking something he would've spat it back out. Choking on nothing but air even the king had to admit he had met his match.

_Oooh that caught your attention didn't it? _The feline said, grinning like a Chesire cat.

His furry head snapped up and every reason to smile vanished. The small figure that had been wandering the streets for what had to be ages stepped out of the shadows into the gold light of a streetlamp. Clear blue eyes, unruly hair, Snorlax tshirt, shorts. She had been crying.

_That idiot. _The feline hissed flexing his claws.

"She's looking for you." N said stating a fact, a frown creasing his forehead. It made him look far too old.

_She's a good girl. _Purrloin agreed, as if her looking for him made her a good girl.

_She'll torture me for disappearing like that. _He said rather mischievous making his way towards the human girl on velvet paws.

"She'll WHAT!" the young man yelled already halfway down the stone stairs blocking the feline's path.

_Nothing I can't handle off course. _The feline purred with faint amusement.

_She's a good girl. And you're a good boy. For caring like that. She… We will be challenging the gym leader tomorrow, congratulations might be in order next time you come to see us. _

"I hate cats." N growled, painfully aware of the feline's usage of the word 'us'.


	11. Lesson 11

**Lesson 11: Curiosity killed the cat - Part Two  
><strong>

* * *

><p>I nearly died from a heart attack when a sleek feline literally fell from the sky and landed in my lap.<br>Clutching my left hand to my heart I cursed under my breath while using the right to steady an equally shocked Marron.

"You damn ninja cat! You cannot go around and stalk people like some demented game of cat and mouse, and the least you could've done is say goodbye, I know you're a wild Pokémon but… well you're my friend and as a friend I want to know if you're safe. It felt like I let you down or drove you away I don't know."

I was blabbering like a brainless moron. Great.

Marron knew it since he rolled his eyes skyward and hissed disapproving at Purrloin as if saying '_Now look what you've done.' _

"Stupid tears" I complained rubbing my already puffy eyes, " I'll look like a raccoon tomorrow,"  
>The feline in my lap snickered kneading the fabric of my baggy shorts, "Don't you laugh." I huffed allowing the cat to rub his furry head beneath my chin, smiling softly as my hands scratching his ears extracted a soothing purr.<p>

"I'll miss you too." I said petting his fur, enjoying how warm and soft it felt beneath my cold fingers.

* * *

><p>Purrloin's relaxed form grew rigid and the hum emanating from his chest went quiet.<p>

_She's an even bigger idiot than I thought! _He uttered addressing the grass type nestled on her head, hoping his growing concern wasn't present in his voice.

_A genuine idiot. _Marron agreed with a quick nod, his tone affectionate. _She lectures Bianca about her self esteem but look at her now. _the grass type said climbing her shoulder, skillfully drying her wet cheeks with his long tail.

_Two can play that game. _The cat said slyly.

She gasped in surprise as he made his way to the other vacant shoulder, hooking his claws into that silly shirt and weaving his long tail around her neck.

_Familiar with the saying 'Curiosity killed the cat?' _Marron commented.

_Yes, I'm rather fond of the continuation 'But satisfaction brought it back.' _Replied Purrloin nuzzling closer to the young girl.

* * *

><p>"I know what you're trying to do." I laughed raising a brow at the innocent look mischievous green eyes tried to pull.<p>

"A tiger doesn't change his stripes."

"Maybe if I gave you a bath?" I mused aloud, joining Marron's snickering laugh.

Curiosity might've killed the cat after all


	12. Lesson 12

**Lesson 12: How can you know what things are worth if your hands won't move to do a days work  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Bianca." Cheren growled towering over the fidgeting blonde, practically radiating anger, his notes carefully taken during the lecture on type disadvantages the Pokéschool provided new trainers, and more important gym challengers with, already forgotten, the ink not even dry yet.<p>

"Y-yes?" she answered steeling herself to meet his wrath while handing me the incriminating evidence behind her back.

"Would you happen to know." He paused moving ever closer, "where the power cord from my laptop is?" His eyes flitted in my direction , and I could tell by the manner he raised a black brow that I was next.

"Don't look at me." I said waving behind my back with one hand to signal the small crowd of Pokémon situated there to save themselves. Hardly containing a loud snort, when Bianca tried to change the subject by inquiring about the weather I stole a glance at the Pokémon. One lizard quickly disappeared in the top of a tree, stopping mid climb to scoop up the panicking pup that ran around its trunk with a frustrated hiss. A crowd of people that sat by a large fountain jumped in surprise as an ecstatic yipping otter performed a perfectly angled dive that came with an unexpected large splash of water for such a small creature.

Piglet unlike the other Pokémon took his time in search of a good hiding place, and went with the concept 'If I don't see them anymore, they won't be able to see me either' promptly hiding his snout behind stubby short paws. Feline, always enjoying a good fight settled down, rather satisfied with his front row seat next to my egg that now rested in a special designed case.

"Are you suggesting that I'm careless when it comes to my personal properties?"

At the sound of my best friend's threatening soft tone I turned my attention back on the scene in front of me. Bianca channeling Oreo had covered her face with her trade mark green beret, holding on to it for dear life.

"N-No of course not." She answered sounding rather muffled.

"Didn't think so." The raven haired teen replied straightening his already perfectly arched back.

"Well?" he pushed

"Well what?"

"Well what happened to it. I had to take all my notes by hand, notes you two will want to read. Added some Japanese characters so have fun with those."

"We kinda…" she hesitated taking a step back.

'Someday Cheren will be one hell of a dad.' I thought while producing the two halves of a snapped laptop cord. I felt rather guilty for breaking it, but after seeing how Marron, Purrloin, Oreo, Saya and Dodger managed to drag both Bianca and me way past the line…well let's just say it was funny. We might've overdone it during the rematch though.

"We kinda… playedtugofwarwithit…"

Cheren blinked in response and for an instance I could've sworn I saw his left eye twitch in annoyance.

"For training purposes of course!" I chimed in, self-consciously stepping back from the murderous gleam in his eyes.

"Oh I'll give you two a purpose for training." He said his voice quiet but razor sharp edged.

"You do? Cheren that's great." Bianca beamed clasping her hands together jumping with joy.

Yep. Right there. I definitely saw a twitch

"Yeah you're going to love it." He replied wrapping his arm around her shoulder, beckoning her closer, "the two of you." He whispered practically glaring me to death when I tried to warn Bianca about the incoming danger."ARE GOING TO SEARCH EVERY STORE IN THIS TOWN TO BUY ME A NEW CORD!"

* * *

><p>Making our way through packed streets it didn't take long before we started to enjoy our little 'Time Out'. Striaton was a surprisingly big city, having a Pokémon Gym had earned the city a big economy boost. Despite their young age, Chili, Cilan and Cress managed to pose a real challenge to rookie trainers. Chili was a notorious name in the Pokémon Centre, his Pansear nicknamed Spice had been responsible for a steady flow of burned patients and Nurse Joy had warned me about him, resulting in an even more pumped up Marron.<p>

That aside several proud citizens had told us about the restaurant the three brothers owned, from what Bianca and I heard you had to be a very patient person if you wanted to eat there. A three month reservation wait list was quite impressive, and quite the wait, especially for someone like me who practically clawed her eyes out from waiting at the dentist's office.

An appetite – Yes. Patience – No.

No worries though, I had already spotted a Chinese restaurant, so celebrating our first badge wouldn't be a problem, it also meant that comfort food (if I managed to mess up) was available.

Citizens and tourists blended together while flocking from stores to little cafes and back again.  
>A shiny new laptop cord became one of many purchases, "Can't believe you bought a rope, Cheren's going to flip." I muttered as we crossed the street, making our way to an interesting looking shop, "Did you see that salesman's face? What's so weird about two seventeen year olds buying toys." I laughed while examining a cream colored scarf a street vendor handed me.<p>

It was really soft, but the price wasn't. I was about to hand it back to him, afraid I'd somehow ruin it, forcing me to buy it, when a green scaled paw appeared in my line of sight, "You want to see it?" I asked huffing in amusement as the lizard promptly grabbed the scarf and drapped it around my neck including himself.

"Looks like the little one made the decision for you. He has a good eye, that's genuine Mareep wool!" The vendor commented, sending Marron a rather fatherly wink.

"An expensive eye you mean." I muttered pulling at the scarf having my own match at tug of war with a rather persistent Marron. "Do you mind?" I hissed at the lizard while sending the vendor an apologetic '_don't mind us' _smile.

It took me five whole minutes to separate my Pokémon from the scarf, panting and with a reddened face I shot the gathering crowd a pointed glare, ignoring Marron's mocking "Tsk tsk." I marched back to Bianca looping my arm through hers so I could pull her along. A sudden loud cry of outrage followed by a "Stop that thief!" had me running towards the nearest alleyway.

"Why are we running?" Bianca huffed clutching her side, "It's not like we're the ones who – " I pointed at Marron who held the scarf, a proud grin on his face.  
>"Used his vine whip the sneaky bastard." I growled narrowing my eyes at my Pokémon, secretly proud that the smug smirk disappeared from his face at the sight of my anger.<p>

"Oh." Bianca sighed allowing me to drag her further down the alleyway, glancing over her shoulder every two seconds.

* * *

><p>"Ready to receive a lecture?" I asked Marron who climbed down my shoulder and positioned himself on top of a dumpster, gracing me with the sight of his back, looking pointedly away from my steady approach.<p>

"Don't you ignore me mister! I practically invented that tactic!" I hissed stepping in his line of sight placing a hand on my hip and tapping a foot against the concrete.

"I'm not going to yell at you or something." I said smiling as his big eyes shot up to meet mine. "You're new to this." I mused aloud, massaging my temples in search of words, wondering if being a mom felt like this too. "Humans have to pay money in exchange for stuff like that." I began with a nod towards the scarf.  
>"People who don't pay money, or forget to do so, like we did a few minutes ago steal stuff from other people, and in the human world stealing is seen as a crime."<p>

Understanding flickered through large eyes, and Marron eyed the scarf with a rather guilty look, his tail flicking from side to side. He really had been clueless about the act, the moment I realized this little piece of information I found myself unable to be angry with him.

Straightening, rather embarrassed about the whole lecturing stuff I added "Just this once, I'll give you a Get Out Of Jail Free Card." A reddish eye slanted my way and I could've sworn that I almost heard him say

_"I'm sorry… Last night when we went looking for Purrloin, you seemed cold…it just seemed like a good idea at the moment…"  
><em>  
>I could've sworn I heard it, but as soon as I tried to focus on his manner of speech and the sounds he produced they turned into nothing more than hissing, as incomprehensible as ever. Somewhere in the back of my mind it felt like comprehension was just within inches of my grasp, but miles and miles away.<br>It was maddening and wrung my heart.

"I'll teach you!" Bianca chimed derailing my train of thought. Digging inside her bag, she produced a handful of coins, "Look Marron, this is what humans call money." She said, explaining the value of each coin that rested in her palm, sending me a small smile.

I chose to let it slide and moved off to peek my head out of the alley to see if the coast was clear. Off course it wasn't and I found myself face to face with an annoyed Cheren and a tall red haired man.

"Errr… I didn't do it?" I tried face flushed as Cheren slapped himself on the forehead and his companion roared with laughter. "So that's the girl I'll be fighting! I like her already!"

In court they would've yelled 'Guilty' the moment those words left my mouth.  
>Not my brightest moment. I know.<p>

* * *

><p>The red haired man who turned out to be none other than Chili himself had been kind enough to clear my debt with the vendor. "Don't mention it. Charlie and I go way back." He replied when I tried to thank him for what had to be the millionth time, "It was worth it. Hadn't had such a good laugh in ages." He added with a little chuckle.<p>

_'Somehow I really doubt that.'_I thought as I eyed him from the corner of my eyes, all smiles, flashing red hair and a bounce to his step. The words I would use to describe him had to be easy-going, talkative, fun and helpful. I decided that the fire type using gym leader was an overall happy person, who took the time to speak to the citizens. We walked through the streets in silence, when I noticed a small sign that said 'Striaton City Gym' I glanced over my shoulder to check if Bianca had noticed.

She was walking side by side with Cheren, both in the midst of a quiet conversation. I had to strain my ears to hear their words.

"She didn't steal it did she?" Cheren **_whispered _**to Bianca as she handed him his new laptop cord elbowing him in the progress.

"Oh ha ha." I said, rolling my eyes. Cheren shook his head, "Come on Ashe, you'd be rolling on the ground crying with laughter if something like that had happened to me." He said amused by my embarrassment, speeding up so he could walk beside me.

"You handled the situation rather well though." Chili said, "Better than I did back in the days."

The twinkle that appeared in his eyes piqued my interest, "What happened?" I asked urging him on to share his thoughts. Chili eyed me, wondering whether or not to share the story, painfully aware of the three pair of eyes that watched him closely. "You have to keep in mind that I was young back then." He said combing long fingers through his crimson hair, in a boyish carefree manner.

"Sounds like an excuse." Cheren teased smirking as Bianca had to stifle a giggle and I tried to cover my loud snort by coughing. Letting the comment slide Chili continued, "The first city I visited when I just caught Pansear was known for their annual eating contest. I tried to explain him the concept of an all-you-can-eat and we decided to enter."

"I can already tell where this is going." Cheren and I interrupted simultaneously, quieting as Bianca shushed us.

"Yeah I should've seen it coming. It gets worse though." Chili admitted flashing a pearly white grin. "Anyway, misunderstanding the term all-you-can-eat Pansear attacked everything edible that came in sight. And with everything I mean _**everything."**_

"Oh no." Bianca exclaimed clasping her hands over her mouth.

"Oh yes." I laughed, suddenly happy with my scarf.

"Everything had to go. Spice and I still argue about the fact he ate a spoon that day. He says he didn't, but I know what I saw." Chili replied solemnly, the serious expression on his face pushed Bianca and me over the edge.

"This gets even worse?" Cheren, (who had to shout to make himself heard) asked.

Chili folded his arms across his chest, "He ate some bad stuff that day." He admitted shaking his head.

"Please don't tell me he ate that." I asked rubbing my aching side, "Pansear no longer went by the name Pansear am I right?"

Chili halted and gaped at my face, "How'd you know?"

I lifted a single shoulder, "Kind off a no-brainer. That and I drunk a whole bottle of it once." I admitted. Chili carefully considered my little revelation and lifted a brow before continuing his story.

"Fire types are really sensitive when it comes to food." He said with a glance in Bianca's direction, who gulped. Apparently Cheren had already filled Chili in on our Pokémon. "Spice ate what had to be tons of pepper and other herbs… He jugged down a whole bottle of Tabasco in mere seconds. No wonder his flamethrower became that big…"

"He set the place aflame?" Cheren asked dodging a passing motor cycle.

"Let's just say the citizens will never forget that particular All-You-Can-Eat edition." Chili admitted, blushing until his face was as red as his hair.

"Maybe they changed the name." I commented with a mischievous smile, "The All-You-Should-Eat-Please-Don't-Torch-The-Place-Contest. You gotta admit it has a nice ring to it."

* * *

><p>By the time the Gymrestaurant came into sight Bianca grew unnaturally silent. Oreo had appeared from his Pokéball without being summoned and walked as close to her as possible, determination evident in his eyes. Purrloin appeared out of thin air when I was about to enter the restaurant and rubbed against my legs before joining a composed Marron who sat waiting with his eyes closed.

"This way." Chili said, leading us through the crowded restaurant to a secluded section in the back.

"Oh no-no, I can't do this." Bianca whimpered at the sight of the huge battle ring that was large enough for three battles to commence at the same time.

"Yes you can and you will." Cheren said squeezing her shoulder, his eyes narrowing with determination as a green haired man entered the battle field, quickly followed by his older, blue haired brother. Raven haired teen followed the green haired gym leader with a furrow of concentration.

"Chili, do tell us how Spice is feeling." The eldest of the triplets asked his youngest red haired brother, obviously worrying about said Pokémon's well being.  
>I shot Chili a questioning glance and froze when I found myself caught by a look of pure anger. Clenching his hands to fists, Chili's boyish grin had disappeared and for the first time I noticed how tall and intimidating a gym leader could be.<p>

"Is something wrong with Spice?" I tried avoiding Chili's darkening stare by staring into Cilan's soft green ones.

"Just some scrapes and bruises." Chili snapped strutting towards his brothers and joining them on the other side of the battlefield.

"Don't be ashamed little brother." Cress, who appeared to be the logical one, said with a cool face, "The three of us lost after giving it the best we had. There is nothing dishonorable about that."

"We had a rather fierce challenger this morning." Cilan who stood facing Cheren explained.

"Fierce?" Cheren inquired pushing his glasses up on his nose.

"There's something seriously wrong with that guy, I'll tell you that. His Purrloin's a monster. Bastard." Exclaimed a pacing Chili.

"It's not losing that's bothering my little brother." Cress commented, resting his blue eyes on his impulsive sibling.

I wasn't going to ask the inevitable question. Someone else would. And I wouldn't like the answer.

"Then what is?" Bianca asked.

I squeezed my eyes shut, counting each passing second. _'Don't let it be him, don't let it be him, please don't let it be –'_

"He said we held our Pokémon back. His exact word to describe the whole Gym leader concept was. Ah… a nuisance."

_N.  
><em>  
>Purrloin's loud affectionate purr hummed through the air and before I even looked at him I could feel his eyes on me.<p>

"I think we're going to have a little talk with your friend after this." I whispered to the feline, who increased his purr to an even louder level.

The conversation died when Chili released a tiny red monkey that crouched into an attacking position the moment he touched the ground. "You'd better prepare for this Ashe, we won't be holding back." Chili said and Spice huffed a plume of smoke to emphasize his trainer's words.

* * *

><p>Marron skillfully dodged what could only be described as a wall of fire by catapulting himself into the air with the help of slender vines. He winced in pain as the monkey moved along with him and scorched his leafy tail. The snake's pay back consisted of a quick jab across the chest and a hiss that had to be a rude remark because the fire monkey suddenly stomped in anger and doubled his attempts to scorch the snake alive.<p>

"I don't think it's wise to offend him like that Marron!" I yelled as the snake continued dancing around an angered Spice, staying close enough to enable the monkey from using his fire attacks.

At the same time Saya bashed an exhausted Pansage on the head with her shell. Cheren had used Sherazade's speed to his advantage, his strategy had been to exhaust his opponent, so the type disadvantage wouldn't be so dangerous anymore. It gave Saya the opportunity to finish the battle and Cheren's first gym badge was a fact.

Bianca's beret lay forgotten at her side, a dripping wet but conscious Dodger barked in encouragement as Oreo countered a jet of water with his own fire attacks, a steady flow of smoke kept trickling from his nostrils. Both battles continued.

Grass type and fire type kept exchanging blows. Marron had managed to inflict some serious damage by slamming the monkey face first into the floor.  
>A dodging maneuver went seriously wrong though, and for a moment Marron became engulfed by flames, completely disappearing from sight.<p>

"Knock him off his feet!" I yelled in panic, praying to every legendary Pokémon I knew, cheering loudly when a scorched vine whip appeared from the flames and did just that.

The steady flow of fire came to an abrupt halt and a staggering, blackened Marron sat on the ground at the side lines. "That was brilliant Marron!" I yelled sending him the biggest smile I could muster.

"You're up Purrloin!" I said. The cat hadn't even moved an inch before Spice lunged at him with an ear splitting screech. "Not a big fan of felines?" I gasped to Chili who laughed apologetic, "Can you blame him?" he yelled with a wide grin before the two of us concentrated on our Pokémon. After a few minutes a fierce hissing Purrloin came out on top and placed a clawed paw on Spice's red furred throat. Some customers might've choked on their soup the moment I errupted into loud cheers.

I had won my first official gym badge thanks to Marron and Purrloin. Cheren had won his first official gym badge thanks to lots of training and logic.  
>Bianca had won her first official badge thanks to Oreo's fierce determination and Dodger's endurance. The blonde wouldn't believe it until Cress presented her with the Trio Badge and carefully mentioned how Oreo had managed to set a whole dining table aflame.<p>

Chili loved that little detail and pulled me and a blushing Bianca into a bear hug. Cilan calling his brother a player wolf whistled and slapped Cheren on the shoulder. After promising to return for tea the next day we returned to the Striaton Pokémon centre analyzing every move we had made during our gym battle. The three of us agreed that owning one badge sounded so much better than owning none, Cheren dead set on making one into two, was already making plans for when we left Striaton city tomorrow. My plans only went as far as treating Marron to a make shift sauna and bullying Purrloin into a grooming session. That and kicking N's ass... and maybe some chinese food.

* * *

><p><em>She's planning to talk to N. <em>Purrloin said eying his trainer who sat cross-legged on her bed, blinking her eyes with sleep, the tip of her nose practically touched the paper she sat hunched over.

_You worried? _Marron replied enjoying the heat that emanated from the desk lamp Ashe had aimed at him.

_She'll anger him, intrigue him and that's even more dangerous…_

She has a temper but that doesn't mean she'll start looking for a fight.

No.

the feline replied stretching his back and yawing. _But I will.  
><em>


	13. Lesson 13

**Lesson 13: You'll never guess  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Cress, if you keep serving me tea I'll explode." I moaned accepting what had to be my sixth cup.<p>

"I'm the problem not the tea, the others like it!" I exclaimed, wrinkling my nose at Cheren and Bianca who seemed to enjoy their warm drink almost as much as watching me being tortured by the surprisingly stubborn eldest brother.

I watched as he poured boiling water over another mysterious blend, hoping to find my favorite, or at least one I didn't hate with a passion.  
>Saying I didn't like tea in front of Cress had been a big mistake. Ordering coffee could be compared to insulting his taste in table linens and adding huge amounts of honey and sugar to a forced cup of tea was an even bigger crime.<p>

"Any luck?" Cilan dressed in his waiter clothes asked, carrying a tray full of food as if it were nothing.

"I was able to guess Cheren's favorite which is peppermint tea, Bianca likes jasmine and I gave Oreo the same tea Chili gives Spice." Cress replied, proud of his talent to guess tea preferences.

His deep blue eyes narrowed as they drifted in my direction. "Ashe hates peppermint, pulls a really funny face when she drinks jasmine tea, claims to get goose bumps from rose tea and starts exaggerating that accent she has, as soon as I present her with Earl Grey. The grass type liked her herbal tea, the feline had to be coaxed into tasting the Earl Grey, but she was smart enough to add some extra milk.

"Oh dear." Cilan said lightly, "Now what?"

"Nothing. She's even pickier than a cat."


	14. Lesson 14

**Lesson 14: I'm not one of those who can easily hide  
><strong>

* * *

><p>In Cheren's humble opinion the people who said that it's all about the journey and not the destination, where those who failed to reach their goal and wanted to give said failing a nice twist.<p>

Yeah he liked the chance to travel, seeing all kinds of stuff and meeting new people would be okay, but what mattered the most was beating every trainer and gym leader that came along the way. His main goal was to become Unova's champion, the nice things that happened in between him being a regular trainer and the Elite Four's leader were just a bonus.

There he had said it.

Nothing wrong with a little ambition, or to use Ashe's words 'A shitload of it'. However at the moment Cheren wasn't doing quite well on the whole 'travelling aspect'.

'Honestly, if they moved any slower we'd be going backwards by now.' He thought glancing over his shoulder at the two females walking behind him, chattering nonstop, completely oblivious of his rapidly growing irritation.

'What sane person stops every five steps to admire graffiti and calls vandalism art for god's sake!'

Ashe White of course, why bother asking?

'And how is it even possible to get two stones in your shoe at the same time while walking on the side walk?'

You might want to ask Bianca Ferilli she had managed just that.

Little did Cheren know that reaching Nacrene City by nightfall would turn out to be such a hassle, the small request his brown haired friend was about to make would put everything in motion.

* * *

><p>"Cheren?" I said to my friend's straight back, his shoulders rigid with irritation.<p>

"Whatever it is the answer is no." He replied, unconsciously using the childish tactics he used when talking to his little sister Miki.

"I have to pee. Something like that doesn't really take no for an answer if you know what I mean." I snorted already checking my surroundings for a public restroom.

"Do you know how dirty a public toilet is?" he asked catching my drift, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

I exchanged a glance with Bianca and rolled my eyes, "Ask Cress and his tea. I do wash my hands you know, it's not like I'm going to plunge my hand in -

"YES YES I get it!" he cut me short shaking his head, "the things that come out of your mouth sometimes."

"Oh you know you love me." I stated raising a brow before pushing the door open.

I wasn't going to tell him that I'd be holding my breath the whole time.

"And don't you use those hand dryers after washing your hands!"

Cheren could be such a mom.

* * *

><p>"I saw it first Cheren Kuro!" Bianca's loud voice drifted through the cracked door.<p>

My reflection in the mirror frowned and I refrained myself from rolling my eyes. Exiting the public toilet I found my two friends practically nose to nose with each other. Bianca, gesturing wildly pointed at something located across the street and I leaned to the side so I could see around her. A green monkey practically identical to Cilan's Pansage sat on the curb happily playing with something that looked like an acorn.

"We saw it simultaneously, that's something very different!" retorted Cheren dismissing her argument with an impatient wave of his hand. Both where so engaged in their bickering they didn't even notice my presence or one elemental monkey disappearing from the scene.

"If I were to knock your heads together this instant it would give some interesting results." I said enjoying my choice of words.

Cheren turned at the distraction, frowned in my direction and took a step back to create a distance between him and a beet-red Bianca.

"Ashe!" she spluttered and I fought down the giggle that threatened to escape. "The things that – "

"Yes yes, the things that come out of my mouth sometimes. That Pokémon the two of you were eying left by the way." I said casually smoothing some nonexistent wrinkles out of my shirt.

"What! I was going to catch it!" she exclaimed glaring at Cheren who snorted at the word 'catch'.

Claiming that I would like to catch it too crossed my mind, but the fact the two of them practically fought over the Pokémon like two Herdier over a bone stopped me from doing so, even teasing had its limits. On some, extremely rare occasions that is.

"Lucky for you guys I saw where it went" I chimed walking straight ahead trusting they would follow me. Just like the first time Bianca's face took on a rather peeved expression the moment she saw the Striaton Gym.

Shoulders hunched she drew to a halt, "It was Cilan's?" she muttered ignoring the green crossing signal. "You wish." Cheren huffed pushing her back, deciding not to notice the way his brunette friend only seemed to walk on the white crosswalk lines.

"Ashe, do you even know where we're going?" Bianca urged causing me to pause.

I could almost hear Cheren flipping out on me before I revealed. "I have a theory."

Deciding not to take it as a direct insult to my intelligence when Cheren's mouth dropped we made our way to the Dreamyard which was located on the city's west side.

"You came up with all of this because of an acorn?" Voice laced with sarcasm Cheren rummaged through his neatly ordered pack producing his trusty laptop.

"I think it's pretty good thinking. Acorns mean trees and well what do you know – trees!" Bianca interrupted craning her neck to peek over his shoulder, her eyes widening when his fingers darted over the keyboard, typing away at break neck speed.

Occupying his other shoulder I squinted my eyes at the screen, "I blame you and forced BBC Sherlock Holmes marathons. You made me think all logical and stuff. "

Green eyes glanced through blonde bangs, "You never complained!"

Puffing my cheeks I rested my chin on Cheren's shoulder, "It's impossible not to love Sherlock Holmes. Arrogant genius." I sighed, grinning when a blonde head nodded vigorously.

Snapping his laptop shut Cheren shrugged his shoulders shooing us of like two clingy Pidove, "Before one of you starts to drool on my laptop I think we should be careful with this place."

Understatement of the century. The wrecked old building had 'HAUNTED' written all over it, "Definitely not my first pick for an afternoon stroll if that's what you're trying to say." I thought out loud, glaring at the building as if I could fix the giant hole in the roof just by staring. If someone were to add some grazing Deerling, looking all picturesque… maybe a rainbow…Yeah…That would work.

"Oh don't worry!" practically shouting Bianca marched towards the abandoned factory, "I bet it used to be a mall!" she chimed still talking to herself about how nice it would be if she were to catch the Pansage.

"For the love of – Don't you watch the news? It's an abandoned research facility! The ruins of one that is." Cheren explained, making his way towards Bianca who had already crossed a large section of the meadow separating us from the Dreamyard. Dragging my feet I followed, praying for the Pansage to reappear somewhere along the path that would lead us back to Striaton City.

_'Stupid Ashe with your stupid ideas._' I thought fiddling with the single Pokéball attached to my belt. After appearing in a flash of bright light Marron took his time to stretch and view his surroundings before flicking a glance on my face.

"We're going to that building over there." I whispered pointing ahead. Twitching his tail the lizard remained impassive, his obvious trust that there was more to come made me laugh, "Okay it's going to be all freaky there and I don't do well with freaky." I admitted a blush rising on my cheeks when he snickered.

Gotta confess I'm a real masochist when it comes to ghosts and all that supernatural crap. It's like a vicious cycle, I'm too proud to admit that Cheren's Japanese horror movies scare the living crap out of me, so I watch them with a pillow plastered to my face. The next thing I know being terrified of my own shadow is considered sane.

"Why couldn't it be clowns or something less ridiculous…" I grumbled before realizing clowns freaked me out too._ 'No way I'm telling Marron that.'_  
>Silence stretched for a few moments and I quickened my pace to catch up on my friends, and their conversation, I didn't take long before Cheren's metallic voice became audible again.<p>

"About thirty years ago scientists used it in search of a cleaner energy source, Sinnoh already had those wind turbines so the research on Musharna's Dream Mist was considered Unova's counter-action." He said with that sudden enthusiasm only science managed to evoke in my sullen friend.

"And you scold me about not watching the news! It occurred thirty years ago!" Bianca bellowed adding a dramatic 'Ancient!' when I backed her up with a "Not very recent isn't it?"

Ignoring our lack in interest when it came to science Cheren continued his little history lesson, gathering all the patience he could muster. "Anyway what I was trying to say before the two of you interrupted me like that." He said gratifying us with a cold glare, "The experiment went horribly wrong, it was a big failure and the whole city had to be evacuated to prevent contamination."

Bianca's puzzled face mirrored mine and urged me onwards, "Cheren, take a look around." I said, spreading my arms in a wide gesture, "This site has a rather remote location, and don't tell me experiments meant to aid the environment give you… I dunno a radioactive glow?"

"Don't be a fool." He replied dismissively, "The place is open to tourists, the inner buildings are off limits though. But more importantly we're not allowed to meddle with the local Munna. Dream Mist can have some serious side effects on humans."

Bianca frowned, "Aren't Munna those super cute pink Pokémon?"

A rather disgusted expression appeared on Cheren's face at the words 'super' followed by 'cute' and I secretly felt a lot better about entering the Dreamyard.  
>I wouldn't be needing those rainbows after all. Marron allowing me to read the smugness on his face climbed my shoulder, poking me in the side with a vine whip before climbing on top of my head.<p>

_Scaredy-cat_

"Don't come crying when the ceiling comes crashing down on you cause you'll be getting a big I told you so from me." Cheren muttered burying his face in his hands when Bianca tripped flattening a crumbling wall and I burst out laughing alerting what had to be every Munna in the Dream Yard of our arrival.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that?" I asked peering behind a pile of rubble scanning the area.<p>

Bianca stopped to glance in the same direction, "You think it was Pansage?" she whispered glancing over her shoulder, trying to act sneaky.  
>She didn't have to worry though, Cheren had wandered off in the opposite direction and found himself studying something that looked like a rocky niche.<br>I gave the entrance to one of the factories a long hard stare before releasing a soft sigh. "Must've been my imagination." I mumbled turning around to face Bianca only to find myself completely alone.

"Bianca?" I asked whirling around expecting to see her green beret, "Bianca the last time you tried to pull a sneak attack on me like this I hit you a black eye… You refused to even talk to me for weeks… just saying…."

Nothing except the tall grass riffled in the wind. Feeling it's touch against my legs had felt good a few minutes ago, now it made my scalp tingle.  
>It gave me that feeling you get when you're being watched. "Guys this isn't even close to funny!" I tried, mentally cursing the Dreamyard for its lack of visitors.<p>

"You still there buddy?" I asked staring up at the pink rim of my cap. Marron gave my ponytail a reassuring tug before jumping down.

"I'm going to kill those two." I growled retracing my steps, making a point of avoiding the entrance to the factory.

A flash of purple and cream caught my eye, and darted through the natural maze the ivy covered factory walls seemed to create.

"Purrloin?" I asked taking a step in his direction, relieve washing over me like a wave.

Climbing the plants as if it were nothing Marron pulled himself up onto a wall, scanning the area. His green scales clashed with the autumn colored leaves and for a split second I wondered if his colorings changed with the season. An impatient 'Tsk' was the only warning I received before he bolted of, shouting directions over his shoulder.

"Not so fast!" I called, fighting my way through the scrubby undergrowth scraping my knees in the progress.  
>Personally the whole situation reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, Purrloin made a fitting Cheshire Cat, and all there was left to add was a white rabbit-like Pokémon and a rabbit hole.<p>

After several minutes the lizard froze. I stumbled to a halt, leaning heavily against the wall, one hand clutching my side. "N- Now what?" I asked him quietly, taking of my cap to brush my sweat dampened bangs from my eyes. Nodding forward with an indistinct hiss Marron eased himself onto my shoulder. I followed his gaze, and felt a sudden flare of anger at the sight in front of me.

The owner of distinctive ruffled, green hair paced up and down pausing ever so often in front of a sleek feline. "Are they arguing?" I whispered barely managing to duck out of sight when a twig snapped under my feet with an audible _crack.  
><em>  
><em>Careful. He's sharp. <em>Marron hissed barely keeping himself from getting caught by hiding in the ivy.

Holding my breath, and wondering if I was about to do something very stupid I crept closer trying to be as silent in my movement as possible.

"…-Refuse to do such a thing." A curt voice said immediately followed by a hiss.

"I don't care if she's good to you, Purrloin do you even realize what you are asking from me?"

Another hiss and a sigh, "Than be angry, see if I care."

Frowning I moved even closer until N and Purrloin reappeared in my line of sight. The feline's tail slashed through the air in a familiar way, his anger and impatience apparent. N who stood with his back facing me dug his hands deep into his pockets. '_He cares, that's obvious.' _I thought deciding N's behavior had to be stubbornness.

* * *

><p>Purrloin's ears swiveled and he barely managed to keep himself from cursing. '<em>What is she doing here! Silly girl!' <em>He thought eying his frustrated friend who stood towering over him, one eyebrow raised in question.

_'Thank god N didn't realize' – _Crack!

Two pairs of cat-slit green eyes widened simultaneously. Emerald green met its human counterpart.

The feline breaking eye contact said enough, N's wide grin meant incoming disaster.

A Pansage with startling aqua colored eyes climbed N's shoulder and snickered at Purrloin, extracting a soft growl from the cat.

_Guess what I spied with my little eye. _Zero said enjoying Purrloin's discomfort more than anything.

"Is it something blue eyed?" N replied softly, lowering his voice.

Blunt nails dug into his shoulder, _How ever did you guess? Played a nice trick on her and those humans she travels with._ _I can fight the lizard this time?_

"No." He replied firmly. "I know something better. All we have to do is lure her out. And we have just the thing for that." Resting his eyes on a tense feline he raised his voice just enough for a certain someone to hear. The words he was about to speak where the truth, the actions following it were lies and nothing more… however she would be ignorant of that little detail.

"If you refuse to follow me of your own accord, I'll just have to capture you." Carefully articulating every word N couldn't help but smile when that simple sentence had an immediate effect.

_'It's almost like magic.'_ He thought.  
><em><br>In one… _the sound of hurried footsteps

_Two… _A loud crack, did she just curse?

_Three… _BAM!

N's eyes widened at the sudden impact.  
><em><br>Shit._

He barely registered Zero's loud screech before he found himself toppling over onto the grass, hitting the back of his head in the progress.

The scent of flowers flooded his nose, soothing his already forming head ache.

_Double shit.  
><em>  
>Something soft tickled his face and neck, scrunching his nose he sneezed and a strand of chocolate colored hair moved to tickle his ear.<p>

_Triple shit._

His brain in the midst of processing the fact that a human, no, scratch that last one, a human **girl **was lying on top of him came to an abrupt halt when she stirred groggily, unconsciously pressing her body even closer to his.

Barely suppressing a groan N craned his neck in search of Zero, distracting himself from his racing heart.

_Don't think she's soft, don't think she's soft, don't think she's soft._

_Ah. She smells nice._

_Quadruple shit…_

_...Does that even exist?_

_Must be a concussion… definitely a concussion._


	15. Lesson 15

**Lesson 15: Damned if I do, damned if I don't  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Sixty seconds made a minute. Sixty minutes made an hour. 24 hours made a day. Seven days made a week and 52 weeks made a year.<p>

One wretched year, twelve months, four seasons.

Days of the week had to be named, months went through the same faith.  
>The alphabet consisted of 26 letters and formed nouns, verbs, adverbs,… That annoying habit to name things…. It made him sick.<p>

Who decided to use the word 'Chair' for a chair? What was the point? If he felt like using the word 'table' for a chair, would it matter?  
>Off course it would. Otherwise there wouldn't be any lunatics.<p>

Rules and laws added structure to the organized chaos. Society, that crazy breed.  
>Appointments written down with a punctuality rate that didn't leave any room for surprises.<br>People had even tamed nature by making it predictable, and only rare displays of its force managed to humble the wired and messed up creatures N called humans.

Did he mention it made him sick? Cause it did.

And then in the midst of the drama, the rules, the boredom, the war, hate, pain, tears, fear.  
>Amidst the cold concrete on which he walked were creatures that broke every rule N had ever experienced during his live. They broke every law of nature, soared through the sky, produced water, fire, ice and electricity out of thin air. Pokémon were superior in every aspect of the word, capable of so much more. They were his friends, the key to his gilded cage, his chance to be someone despite him being a human, his chance to make the most of it.<p>

They were his friends, doing the biddings of the ones he hated! The untamable ones tamed by force. Prime numbers suffocated by the composite numbers.  
>Even Purrloin had fallen, with his pleading for him to open his eyes and see. The feline <strong>wanted <strong>to be named by a human, he no longer wanted to go by the name Purrloin after hearing what Zero, disguised as one, had done during their gym battle. The whole situation rung a bell, Purrloin in his sudden change of heart had resembled Zero years and years ago. So if Purrloin resembled Zero, did that mean the human girl ressembled him?

_Open your eyes and see for once,_ the cat had said, demanding him to act as an interpreter in front of the blue eyed girl.

_'I can see just fine.' _N thought as he allowed the girl on top of him to pin his wrists to the ground.

_'I hate her.'_ The thought flitted through his mind as he watched her angered face. Turning the phrase around in his mind N found himself unable to come up with another argument for hating her then her being a trainer… He had to be practical, blaming her for being human would be rather silly… That said wasn't hate a bit harsh? Maybe dislike? Yeah that had a better ring to it. Hate was such a final word after all. If he decided to like her at some point. No, no! You dislike her, dis-**like** her. This was giving him a head ache.

For such a tiny person the girl could produce a lot of sound, she was an avid curser too.

The image of a kitten roaring like a Liepard shot before N's eyes and he had to bite the insides of his cheeks to stop himself from snorting.

She was yelling something at him but his ears wouldn't listen. He focused on her voice, ignoring the dull pain in his head.

"Chili was practically breathing fire!"

Ah she was talking about his latest achievement. Reminiscing the red haired gym leader's baffled expression was so much better than that stupid shiny piece of metal that came with the victory.

"And you dare to act all high and mighty, but you are just like us, you even challenged the gym! And don't even get me started on what you did to Spice cause then you'll get very acquainted with my fist!"

N's hands twitched involuntary as his anger rose, the urge to turn the tables on her was growing stronger. She didn't even realize that he was consciously submitting to her. It took every shred of his self control to remain subdued, her defending that stupid red haired joke of a gym leader wasn't helping. What was so great about him anyway?

Zero, who had been trying to catch his attention, growled at the two of them, barely keeping Ashe's Pokémon at bay. They were trying their hardest to come to her aid. Loyalty was a respectable trait, however loyalty directed towards the wrong cause was nothing more than foolishness.

_'Maybe that's the reason._' He thought his green eyes fixed on her majestic blue ones, _'She's oblivious to it all. I'll make her see, make her agree, if she does there might be hope for her just yet.  
><em>  
>Sensing his sudden stillness the girl paused, N smirked at her self-conscious face.<p>

"Wipe that smirk of your face, and explain yourself." She said tightening her grip despite her reddening cheeks.

"You shouldn't tackle a male. That and I didn't hear a word you said." He lied gingerly, giving her a blank expression.

She stared down in his calm face, not quite able to believe her ears, shaking her head she murmured through gritted teeth "You didn't even listen."

"Nope."

N noticed the chagrined look on her face and decided to add some oil to the fire by ignoring her and turned his attention on Zero who found himself in the midst of a furious fight with Purrloin and the girl's Snivy.

"Your Snivy is close to evolving." He commented as the lizard performed a rather impressive leaf tornado. Sneaking a peek as deep blue eyes glinted dangerously he raised a single brow, was she ignoring him now?

"Don't call him Snivy, that's not his name." She spat going out of her way not to move her body too often. The girl had some common sense after all, however there was much to learn when it came to addressing a king.

"Make me." He simply stated, openly challenging her. "What gives you the right to change Snivy's given name?" N continued, carefully flexing his legs, readying himself to break free, secretly curious to have her answer on that one.

The brown haired girl pondered on the question, her brow dinted with concentration "I asked if he liked it, and Marron agreed." She answered huffing at a curled strand of hair that fell in her face.

N snorted, "Course he did. Cause you understand the words he says. You're smarter than that Ashe. You only did it because it made you happy. Definitely not Snivy. You. Ashe- Boy's name - White heard what she wanted to hear."

Her face twitched at the 'boy's name' comment, blunt nails scraping his skin clarified her thoughts on the matter. "You can't even bring yourself to do such a little thing?" N asked with obvious distaste, "He'll be listening to the name Servine very soon, it's a good name, use it well."

N had to admit he grew slightly wary when deep blue eyes pinned him to the ground in every aspect of the word, and for a second he thought the girl would really attempt to hit him.

The first signs of a temper flashed on her face when she growled, "Make me."

Amused by the suggestion she offered him with, a predatorily grin appeared on his face. "With pleasure." He remarked dismissively, breaking her feeble grip on him as if it were nothing, throwing her back. She managed to pose a small challenge, fighting like a wildcat her fierce kicks and screams caught Zero, Snivy and Purrloin's attention and all three Pokémon halted their attacks to watch a power struggle between two humans.

_N stop that right now! _Zero yelled, when his friend dodged a fist and grabbed it with his much larger hand.

_Shut up! You fight Ashe! Kick him where it hurts! _Marron, who had long lost his temper hissed.

Purrloin for what had to be the very first time in his life found himself completely at a loss for words. Both he and N knew that her efforts to put up a resistance were in vain. And indeed, it didn't take long before N was the one who came out on top and pinned her to the ground.

"You insufferable bastard get off!" the girl yelled wriggling her body in an attempt to free herself from his clutches.

_'God she puts up a fight.'_The green haired teen thought waiting for his erratic pulse to slow down.

"Now this is better." He huffed, his words meant to taunt came to an abrupt halt when he watched her idly. N… blinked.

Covered in grass stains, chest still heaving as an aftermath from their little brawl and cheeks practically glowing with anger the girl with a boy's name rendered him speechless. Wavy chocolate colored hair had escaped her messy ponytail and cascaded down her shoulders and back. Her trade mark baseball cap had gone missing during their struggle. She was beautiful, maybe the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

As a man he had realized the female members of his father's organization Concordia and Anthea were…rather pleasant to look at? He wasn't dense and definitely not blind, however those two qualities forced him to acknowledge that the brown haired girl was very pretty. And the strange stupid urge to touch her hair almost made him loosen his hold on her.

She looked the part of the princess from those fairy tale books Anthea loved to read him from. A badmouthed, stubborn princess with a temper. The description somehow suited her and a genuine smile tugged at his lips. He stared at the girl who was clearly distressed by his sudden closeness. He discovered he quite liked it.  
>Zero, not pleased with the way his friend was staring at a human barked loudly.<p>

* * *

><p>"Enough! We're humans not savages!" I yelled, hoping that my sudden rational act would tempt him to release me so I could kick his ass.<p>

Saying I was angry would be a huge understatement, I was absolutely furious, pissed, on the verge of biting, something I had actually tried at a certain point.

"N, this is ridiculous." I said shaking my head. At the sound of his name, his hands twitched and I couldn't suppress a shiver.

"Are you cold?"

I blinked. "You serious?" I scoffed not meeting his gaze.

"I always am." He replied touching my lower arm with a look of interest on his face.

"Ah! Look, look! There it is again." Enjoying his new discovery like a child, he ran his index finger over my skin, a big smile appeared on his face as goose bumps marked the trail his hands made.

"You're like a Tympole." He giggled not in the least impressed by my renewed struggles.

He didn't just say that.

"Who in their right mind compares a girl to a slimy tadpole!" I growled no longer ashamed about my previous attempts to bite him.

"You don't like Tympole?" he asked tilting his head slightly. By now my emotions had flitted between anger, shock, confusion and… some more confusion.  
>In N's world being compared to a water Pokémon with ugly eyebrows and a stupid face seemed to be considered as a huge compliment. I decided I didn't like N-logic. That and he desperately needed some pick up lines.<p>

I let out a sigh, "Take your whole I'm-so-innocent act and shove it you perv."

Emerald eyes the size of saucers grew even bigger. "What's this perv you're talking about?"

It was a good thing I was already lying flat on my back, if not I would've definitely fallen flat on my ass. "Very funny." I scoffed not in the mood to explain the word pervert to a guy that sat on top of me.

"Did I tell a joke?" he asked not a least bit amused.

"Do you even know what it means?" He tried when I remained silent.

"Course I know what it means!" I shouted, ignoring his innocent face.

"Then tell me!"

"Nu-uh."

"Hmpf… I bet you don't know… Perv right back at you" he muttered puffing his cheeks like a Patrat.

I couldn't help it, being a person who laughed at inappropriate times the whole situation was comical gold, and that affronted expression on his face was just too much. A loud burst of laughter escaped me, unable to wipe my tears they rolled over my cheeks and dripped in my hair, "bhahahaha. Man kill me now, you should get a show or something." I hiccupped winching as my stomach ached from laughing. "Oh don't look at me as if you just swallowed a lemon." I said when I noticed his sharp narrowed eyes.

My laughter ended with a loud gulp when his head inched closer to mine. I could see my reflection in his eyes. Even I didn't consider this as funny.

"Are you mocking me?" he asked huskily. Moving closer and closer the long haired teenager eyed me through half lidded eyes. I could feel his breath on my skin.

Great I had been mocking a weird touchy guy, with strength about thousand times mine.

"P-pervert." I squeaked wondering if a headbutt would knock him out.

"youhaveacutelaugh." The compliment came out rather slurred and his head drooped even further down.

I let out a loud 'Eep!' when his long hair touched my skin, "Are you drunk?" I yelled frowning at the sudden squeakiness of my voice. Resting his head on my chest N lifted a lock of my hair and studied it with a rather pained expression. "If you puke, I'm going to kill you!" I warned clenching my hands to fists. I could feel a vein pumping inside my forehead, _'He's definitely wasted, that or he ate some weird mushrooms.'_

"G'night"

"Yeah yeah good nigh-" I snapped my mouth shut with an audible click of my teeth, "WHAT? N? NO NO! COME ON! SIT BOY, FETCH, AAGH!"

Unbelievable, how is it possible to fall asleep during broad daylight? How is it possible to fall asleep ON TOP OF SOMEONE in the middle of a conversation?

"Fuckin' awesome" I growled pushing my newly released hands against his chest.

"Ugh you heavy log!" I moaned already exhausted from my futile attempts to move N's limp body. '_Who knew he slept like the living dead', _I thought craning my neck to beg Marron and Purrloin for help, even that blue eyed Pansage's vine whip would be a gift from heaven.

_Muuuuuun_

_'What the?'_

A pink, faintly glowing Munna was circling Marron, Purrloin and Pansage, eerily hovering in the air. Judging by the way they were swaying on their feet the floating floral Pokémon was performing some kind of attack on them.

"Hey!" I yelled as Marron toppled over and landed on a soft mattress of purple and green hair formed by Purrloin and the Pansage who were already miles away, snoring softly.

Mischievous red eyes met mine, the Munna delighted with her large amount of victims squeaked happily and rolled in mid air, _yaaaaay another testing object!  
><em>  
>I had to do something, and fast, squeezing my eyes shut against Munna's hypnosis powers my hand prowled the grassy area searching for anything throwable.<br>Hell I'd throw N if I could.

A sudden loud startled cry coming from the Munna had me peeking through my eyelashes. Sitting on top of Marron and Pansage sat a ridiculously calm Purrloin in the midst of inspecting his bared claws. Catching my gaze the feline grinned haughtily revealing wicked teeth.

_I eat psychic types for breakfast.  
><em>


	16. Lesson 16

**Lesson 16: Sidelines**

* * *

><p>If there was one thing Marron learned from the scene in front of him, it was that humans were more than capable to win their own Gym Badges, without the aid of a Pokémon that is. At least Ashe and that green haired guy could win one, probably with their hands tied behind their back.<p>

_You think they'll stop anytime soon? _He asked an equally shocked Purrloin, who sat beside him perfectly still.

_Maybe if we throw a bucket of water over them? Works when I'm fighting. _The feline suggested, _although they might just attack us instead.  
><em>  
><em>Oh he'll stop when that stupid girl admits defeat. <em>Zero still in disguise answered, while silently berating N for not taking advantage of the girl's pathetic defense.

In Marron's opinion the Pansage's icy voice gave him away almost immediately, his answer got slightly delayed when Ashe gave her opponent a fierce jab to the ribs.  
>All three Pokémon hissed in unison, they all knew how that felt.<p>

_Want to bet on that one trickster? _Marron calmly replied.

_The day N loses to a girl I'll eat his cap._

_Game on fox._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter Art<strong>: Link on my profile! _


	17. Lesson 17

**Lesson 17: The more I see the less I know, the more I like to let it go  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>A small green haired boy stood behind a huge window, millions of stars twinkled brightly, and for a second he was convinced of the fact they shone for him only,<br>soon he would be the center of everything, a blazing sun surrounded by stars._

_Inching closer the child's hot breath fogged the glass. He felt happy, the long red robe that covered his body made it feel more real to him, its fabric felt soft, and he liked the reassuring weight on his shoulders. It reminded him of how his father would place his hands on his shoulders while introducing him to a new Pokémon._

_"You promise to be quiet?" he whispered to something that appeared to be hiding in the folds of his cloak._

_"How can I be quiet if you keep asking me questions?" The owner of a high voice answered from his hiding place, sniffing the dazzling amounts of scents that hung in the air._

_"Just checking." The child replied offended while looking over his shoulder peering at the people crowding the hall._

_"When the sages spoke of a people-only gathering they really meant it." He mused aloud, his face a blank mask despite the Pokémon's sudden movement._

_"Hush now Zero, they can't hurt you." He spoke to the quivering ball of black fur, trying to sound as brave as possible. Being in the presence of so many adults scared the boy too, they had woken him in the middle of the night, separating him from the warmth his friend Darmanitan provided. He must've fallen asleep somewhere along the way because the next coherent thing the boy remembered was waking up inside of the Coronation Room, which was known to him as off-limits._

_"My Lord."_

_The boy whirled around, clutching a handful of his friends fur. The two goddesses studied him with narrowed eyes._

_"Oh I'm sorry, we're looking for our friend but he isn't as tall and handsome as you are." Althea said with a smile that only grew in brilliance when the boy grabbed the hem of her dress stopping her from moving away, with a loud, "It IS me!"_

_Placing her hands on her hips Concordia circled the little boy, "You are our little N?" she asked secretly winking at a giggling Althea._

_Ignoring the 'little' comment N drew himself up to his full height, frowned and said "Don't be foolish, name me one other child inside our organization."_

_"You are no fun my Lord." Concordia said with a pout._

_"No I am not." He confidently replied turning away from her to hide Zero's pointy ears from peeking out._

_Rolling her eyes at her sister Althea couldn't help the sudden urge to smoothen the boy's bed head. "It's time my L- my King."_

_"King." N muttered to himself. Testing the word in his mouth the lordling decided it had a nice ring to it. He had met other Lords on several occasions, the sages all went by the title 'Lord', and there were seven of them! Being called a King would separate him from all the others._

_N's chest puffed out, the two women gave him a small smile before stepping aside._

_Outside thick raindrops had begun to fall, black storm clouds shrouded the full moon, darkening the aisle that lead N towards the throne. All eyes were on him, the crowd murmured with a whispering sound like the wind outside._

_Taking a deep breath N faced the man standing in front of the altar, he searched his face for a hint of reassurance, a smile maybe, but got nothing. Green eyes travelled higher and came to a halt. A huge stained-glass window was shrouded in darkness, the images all dull and black without their artificial illumination. Flashes of lightning lit up the whole building with a blinding light and the mosaic seemed to come to live. Vibrant colors splashed the surrounding walls, shades of fiery red, sea blue and gold._

_The Tao Trio surrounding the Team Plasma crest became visible. Including them all four living creatures N wished to impress were present._

_His father, who's hand didn't even linger a second when placing a golden crown on his son's head._

_Zekrom, it's red eyes gleaming in magnificent contrast to his deep stark black scales. It's limitless power would be N's ideal as a King._

_Reshiram, angelic fur and feathers, it's coloring so bright it made N's eyes water. Piercing blue eyes that saw nothing but truth._

_Kyurem, the complete opposite of Zekrom and Reshiram, who were like yin and yang. The Pokémon that arrived from outer space like a meteor. He had always been curious about space._

_The thought of meeting and speaking with all three of them made his heart skip a beat. Zero had been nagging about flying, maybe Zekrom could carry him?_  
><em>And Darmanitan had been having some trouble with learning flamethrower, Reshiram might be able to help with that right?<em>

_The crown practically slid down over his eyes. A tall sage that stood behind him took a step forward, spreading his arms wide he spoke to the crowd, his voice echoed throughout the hall growing louder until it was drowned out as a tumultuous cheer erupted from the crowd._

_"HAIL TO THE KING!"_

_N turned and faced his loyal followers. All of them bowed in front of their King. His eyes shifted towards the two goddesses who gave him a small nod before graciously lowering their heads._

_Several grunts whistled, some female recruits cried, everyone cheered and applauded._  
><em>Hidden in his cloak Zero nuzzled the boy's chest, triumph in his aqua eyes.<em>

_"ALL HAIL KING N!"_

_Another flash of lightening followed an inaudible thunder. Team Plasma's crest shone. Zekrom, Reshiram and Kyurem seemed to be looking at him, recognition in their majestic eyes.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Stupid N, makes walking feel like work. Stupid Munna." Grumbling under my breath I dragged a blissfully sleeping N along with me, legs trembling with effort.<p>

After Purrloin's subtle approach when it came to handling a hypnosis addicted Munna the both of us had come to the conclusion (Purrloin's sharp claws might've influenced my opinion a tiny bit. Democracy my ass) that it wouldn't be very nice to leave a nearly comatose teenager in the middle of nowhere, by himself.  
>Some wild Pokémon might mistake him for an easy meal or a nice scratching pole, he could freeze to death, or choke on a leaf judging by the way he slept with his mouth wide open. You catch my drift, the guy was in mortal peril.<p>

So I had resigned myself to carrying N on my back, performing a what had to be the most clumsy piggy back ride in the whole universe.  
>Sadly the guy seemed to come in a package, and the extra weight that creepy eyed Pansage provided me with might just snap my spinal cord in half.<p>

_That's probably his intention. _The paranoid, tedious part of my brain whispered before I delicately pointed out I'd be drinking a gallon of milkshake brain freezing myself if the voice didn't shut up.

N didn't seem to carry any Pokéballs, which meant I had to carry the monkey the old fashioned way. Add the fact that the guy was as incooperative as a boulder and some people would be inclined to award me with a Nobel Prize for dodging overhanging branches instead of bashing his head against them.

_I'm such a stupid idiot. _

Readjusting the weight on my shoulders I focused my attention on my feet, Purrloin who was leading the way gave me a solemn look when I paused near an exceptionally thorny shrub. "What!" I exclaimed, amused by his condescending glare, "if that doesn't wake him up nothing will!"

_You'll be the one plucking him out of there if your plan backfires. _Purrloin replied swiping at a wisp of smoke, hovering in front of his nose.

"Maybe if I throw a Pokéball on his big airhead." I countered, dismissing the feline's irritation with a wave of my hand, while staring at my feet.

"What is this stuff anyway?" I mused aloud following Purrloin along the grassy path that led towards a particular rundown part of the Dreamyard.

The strange pink mist hovered over the grass like a dense cloud. It ran down the path Munna had taken and I soon realized said Pokémon was the one behind the strange smoke like strands.

"Does it do something?" I asked putting N down, wincing as my joints snapped in protest.

_Side from annoying me? _Purrloin hissed placing a paw on N's chest, lowering his face so they were close to eye level.

"Don't wake him. I think I like him better when he's asleep." I sighed checking Marron's Pokéball. The capsule's bright red color had turned a deeper shade of red, signaling the Pokémon inside suffered some form of status ailment. "Great, should've listened to Cheren when he tried talking me into buying some awakening potions. Should've known my walking apothecary would disappear on me." I growled aiming a kick at the pink smoke, watching in awe as the substance coiled and fluttered.

I blinked. My brain was getting revenge for the milkshake treat, or maybe a confused assistant in the pharmacy had swapped my heart medication with… I dunno drugs?

_Maybe I'm being punked. _Cheren wearing a wig could be impersonating N while Bianca filmed everything. No no, Cheren wasn't the type to waste his time like that, and by now Bianca would have exploded from Suppressed Laughter Syndrome.

"Please tell me you just saw that too?" Purrloin gave me a puzzled stare, after a moment of hesitation he nodded his fury head.  
>We gasped in unison when an image seemed to flicker within the strange substance. <em>A boy stood gazing at a huge glass stained window.<br>_  
>"Holy shit." I gasped crawling closer to the mist peering into it.<p>

_Don't you dare sticking your head in that Dream Mist. _Purrloin, who's fur stood on end, hissed loudly yanking me back by my hair.  
><em><br>Girl has no common sense, she'd stick her head in a Druddigon's mouth if he asked her nicely. _

_'Muuuun!'_

My eyes met Purrloin's for a split of a second before I snapped them shut and sprung to my feet.

"Is it close?" I asked straining my ears as the feline scouted the area.

Sounds of a struggle emanated from the remains of the roofless factory, a loud cry of pain followed by a startled hiss had me running closer. Two people dressed as knights stood looming over a cowering Munna. I'd recognize that ridiculous attire from anywhere, Team Plasma, the one's fighting for Pokémon liberation we're ganging up on a defenseless Munna. Dangling by the scruff of his neck Purrloin's emerald eyes flashed dangerously.

"Give us the Dream Mist you useless piece of shit!" The man spat, kicking the psychic Pokémon that whimpered in pain.

Purrloin arched his back in every possible angle, biting and scratching the grunts gloved hand, "You keep quiet!" the grunt snarled angrily, shaking the feline in warning.

This was too much. Gritting my teeth I could practically feel my anger rising, the female grunt was yelling now, insulting the Pokémon she accentuated every word with an aggressive kick.

Munna had grown silent, the kicking and screaming continued. The male grunt vented some of his frustration on the feline by pulling the dark type's long purple fur, Purrloin produced a blood curling shriek that set my hair on end.

Enough. Anger seemed to fill my chest like some monstrous weight, writhing and raging.

_"_ENOUGH!" I screamed so hard it felt like my throat would tear, glaring at the two Plasma grunts who paused their kicking.

The female grunt scanned me from head to toe, fanning my raging anger, "Don't get yourself into situations you don't understand, little girl. We are Team Plasma we fight to liberate Pokémon from foolish humans like you!" She said with a sneer, aiming a kick at the Munna, staring at me in challenge while doing so.

"You keep that up and I'll show you how little my fist can be you hypocrite bitch!" I spat rising to my full height.

"B-bitch?" she spluttered kicking the Munna aside and taking a step in my direction.

"Yeah that's what I called you, should I say deaf bitch? Aren't you all about Pokémon liberation? Kicking the crap out of them is a funny way of showing that!"

She asked for it, and so did I, in my anger the male grunt had been sizing me up, the lone Pokéball on my belt didn't go unnoticed, the fact that single Pokémon was weakened neither.

"You can take her on Lena. She's a nobody, the single Pokémon she managed to enslave is hurt, we'll free him after beating her. That Dream Mist will be ours." He said to his ally, who's grin widened.

Purrloin hissed, his eyes sent me a silent message. _Run._

My own message consisted of a fierce glare.  
><em><br>_Loosening Marron's Pokéball from my belt I shoved it inside my bag, hiding him from view. "You bring it on!" I sneered mockingly at the two grunts who released their Pokémon.

Purrloin scratched and bit with renewed vigor, from the corner of his eyes he could see how one of his own kind cornered his trainer.

His trainer.

"Purrloin use assist! Don't hold back!"

His eyes widened. _O__f all the attacks she asks that one_.

The feline didn't like surprises and using assist was all about the risk. Purrloin never used it, he didn't need others to help him, he didn't need assistance and others didn't need his…He was a feline for god's sake, a lone stray!

Then why were his claws glowing with the white light of that wretched attack?

_That girl will cost me all of my nine lives. _He thought with a toothy grin.

A vine whip appeared out of thin air and hit the grunt restraining him in the face.  
><em><br>Oh that's just wonderful. _Purrloin could practically see the grass type's smug face, even asleep the lizard meddled in the fight.

A second assist materialized as a water gun, the Patrat standing in his path didn't know what hit him.

Saya wielding her shell with fluid grace flung it at the flabbergasted grunts, _Nice water gun! _She chirruped fending off two Patrat at once.

"Cheren! Bianca!" I yelled, a huge smile forming on my face as my friends appeared after their Pokémon.

"Thank god!" Bianca squealed flinging her arms around my neck, shouting instructions at Oreo while chocking me.

"About time you guys came to save the day." I said aiming a wink at a scowling Cheren.

Taking in the scene Bianca's eyes came to a halt on the injured Munna. "Cover me." She whispered before dashing through the battlefield towards the pink Pokémon.

"Idiotic, reckless fool!" Cheren growled tossing a Pokéball up in the air, releasing his newly caught Pansage.

The monkey tackled the male grunt blocking the blonde's way. Scooping up the dream eater Pokémon, Bianca turned and found herself face to face with an extremely pissed of female Plasma member, "Oooooh dear." She whimpered eying her Patrat. Judging by the looks of it the rodent seemed to be suffering from a severe toothache, he looked angry enough.

"Where do you think you're going blondy?" the ugly clad women asked, cackling madly when Bianca tripped and fell. "Don't laugh at me! You meanie!" she sputtered shielding the shivering Munna with her arms.

"You clumsy girl." The Plasma member spat, her face scrunched up with disgust, "I bet your poor Pokémon suffer simply from being with you."

Shrinking under her beret Bianca lowered her eyes, this was the conversation with her father all over again. A single tear splashed on the Munna's snout.

"Muuuun?"

Teary green eyes met soft beady red ones, inching closer to the insecure blonde the Pokémon gave her a reassuring smile.  
><em>It depends on me, <em>the realization hit Bianca like a sledge hammer on the head. Snapping her eyes upwards she gave the women a stubborn glare, "I'd rather be a bit clumsy than mean like you. You walking fashion disaster!"

Lena's eye twitched, first that loud brunette had called her a bitch, and now this klutz insulted her sense of fashion. She'd had her fill of insults,"The nerve of these little bra- GAH!" Unable to finish her insult she comically hopped and stomped the end of her smoldering cloak.

_That's for making my trainer cry!  
><em>  
>"Oreo!" Bianca cheered, eying her snorting fire starter. The piglet barked proudly, his happiness ended rather abrupt when the bad tempered Patrat snapped at him.<br>"Dodger help Oreo!" A quickly tossed Pokéball freed a pumped Dodger. The pup took one look at his surroundings, spotted the Patrat and rammed his opponent head first.

Bianca's sigh of relief turned into a chocked "Eep!" when a hand lifted her off the ground by her collar. Munna aware of her vulnerable position squeaked and hid behind the remains of a concrete wall, the humans she encountered there stopped her short.

* * *

><p>"Father's cloak has a darker color. Details, Zero." N whispered circling the green haired man that stood in front of him, scrutinizing his friend from every possible angle. "And he shouldn't be this tall, you're still accustomed to my height, he should be a few inches shorter."<p>

The fox changed said features, his face pursed with concentration. The illusionary Ghetsis gave N a wide smile, "Don't smile or you'll give them a heart attack." N hissed barely containing a loud snort at the sight of his father doing the unthinkable. Smiling.  
><em><br>Yes yes I have to look like there's hell to pay. _The fake Ghetsis replied rolling his eyes,_N tell me why exactly are we helping humans?_

N's mouth opened and closed, and with a chagrined glance at Zero he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm repaying her. "

_You don't owe her anything N._

The green haired teen stared into Zero's human face, the resemblance was evident and the chance she might notice the family traits was a huge risk.  
>Was it worth it, would he allow his cover to be blown? How would she react if she knew…<p>

His expression shifted into a wry smile, "Tell her Purrloin wants to be named. If I don't owe her I owe him."

Zero who didn't like the sad look in his friend's eyes quickly changed the subject, _What are you going to do about those two grunts?  
><em>  
>Green eyes came to rest on the shivering Munna, the Pokémon noticing his gaze curled into a tight ball.<p>

Dark anger rumbled under his voice when he replied, "They'll be repaid in kind."

* * *

><p>The female grunt smiled wickedly, the blonde was practically whimpering with fear. "I'll describe you in a single word." She growled wickedly, raising her free hand,<p>

"Failure."

Squeezing her eyes shut Bianca braced herself for the impact, Munna had gotten away, that was all that mattered to her. Oreo and Dodger had been amazing, she had managed to protect them.

"Nobody asked for a description of **your **life story." I snapped. Using all of my strength I slammed my fist against her jaw, "That's for insulting my friend." I growled cracking my knuckles.

Peeking through her eyelashes Bianca gave me a weird look, her eyes flitted between me and Lena. Her mouth opened and closed making her look like a stranded fish.

"You in shock?" I asked waving a hand in front of her face.

Big tear filled eyes focused on me, "Uh-Oh" I snickered, already aware of the impending doom and the fact my gravestone might say 'hugged to death'

"Ashe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" carefully avoiding the unconscious pile of Plasma member, Bianca threw herself at me and locked me in a bear hug.

"Air, B! Oxygen!" I laughed pushing the teary blonde away.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was just so relieved that –" The sudden tense atmosphere silenced the both of us. A man with long grey green hair, clad in luxurious robes stood in the middle of the clearing, the male Plasma grunt started babbling something, bowing at the same time.

"How did he get here, we are blocking the only entrance." Bianca whispered in a shaky voice exchanging a glance with Cheren.  
>She was right, the roofless site only had one entrance, Cheren who stood facing us would have seen him coming, however the raven haired teen looked just as shocked as we were.<p>

A telltale tingle at the back of my head had me turning around. This was starting to remind me of Cheren's horror movies that had ghosts in them.  
>Oreo, Dodger and Purrloin huddled closer. Cheren gattered the other Pokémon and stood in front of them.<p>

_I don't like this one bit, that mister doesn't smell human! _Dodger jipped hiding behind Bianca.

_Shhh, be quiet or he might hear us! _Oreo snorted sneaking a peek at the stranger, using his big nose to sniff the air.  
><em><br>Turn around if you're up for a real scare. _Purrloin who had followed my example hissed. A second Ghetsis had materialized behind us.  
>Bianca gripped my hand, "You keep an eye on that one, Cheren and I are watching the other." She whispered tightening her already painful hold, breaking at least two or three fingers.<p>

"M-My Lord!" the male grunt stuttered tolling around, unable to decide which Ghetsis he should be focusing on.

"You incompetent imbeciles." The one blocking the entrance hissed in anger.

The Plasma grunt paled, his fear to turn his back on the second Ghetsis evident on his face. It wouldn't surprise me if he turned into a puddle of goo that instant.

"F-forgive us my Lord these children it's- it's their fault!" pointing in our direction he dropped to his knees, groveling in the dirt.

Now that was a mature thing to do, blame the children.

"There are NO excuses!" the eerie man barked, not satisfied with the lame excuse.

The Ghetsis standing closest to Bianca and me seemed to function as the spokesperson. He was the menacing one of the duo, the second just kept staring, his silence was starting to freak me out. "How difficult can it be to extract Dream Mist from a Pokémon? The two of you are a failure!"

A third Ghetsis came to existence, two of them moved in on the trembling grunt.

"P- please don't punish us." He whimpered, not so tough anymore when his opponent was someone his size.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Pulling his stunned accomplice to her feet he ran for his live, still begging for forgiveness.

"I didn't know those guys had an off-button." I whispered through clenched teeth, fiddling with my wristband when cold blue eyes met mine. _Crap… Hey! Strange, I expected green eyes…or eye... why DOES he wear that weird glass thingy anyway? Maybe he's an old perv and he uses that to see through clothes. Ugh, gross, I'll have to wash my brain after this! _

Shaking my head from thoughts that made me want to plunge my head into a bucket of water I returned the weird man's glare.

After what felt like an eternity Ghetsis' eyes came to rest on Purrloin and I positioned myself in front of the feline.

_Did you enjoy your little nap Zero? _The feline hissed haughtily, ignoring the loud gasps that came from the others when two out of three illusions disappeared.

Zero graced the feline with a cold glare, the blonde was making her way towards Munna, its supporting illusions had been useful, the serious looking boy was returning his Pokémon, the brunette was still staring at him.

_Better get this over with._

"The **cat**," he began, pronouncing the word as if it was something dirty, while turning his back on the humans and Pokémon, "wants to be named."

_Don't come crying when she names you Mr. Tibbles. _He added in a voice too low for humans to hear.

* * *

><p>I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing, I don't get reviews very often and I'm always nervous to read them!<br>Not too sure about this chapter, I don't like some parts, had a hard time describing some stuff...


	18. Lesson 18

**Lesson 18: To grin like a Cheshire cat  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"I slept through all of THAT?" Marron asked wonderingly, crimson eyes wide.<p>

His big eyes grew even larger when Oreo, Saya, Dodger, and Cheren's newly caught Pansage nicknamed Thyme solemnly nodded.

"You sure did." Saya chirruped.

"Like a hatchling!" Oreo barked.

"I get the picture, thanks." The grass type moaned when Dodger opened his mouth to share his opinion on the matter.

Following their trainers along route 3 the other Pokémon filled him in on what happened while he was under the influence of hypnosis. According to Thyme he had never left the Dreamyard, "Which means that the Pansage my Cheren saw earlier today had to be a different Pansage." Saya mused aloud adjusting her scallops.

"You're saying I slept through Bianca biting his head off for catching Thyme first? No freakin' way!" the lizard hissed, unconsciously applying Ashe's manner of speech.

"Nah that would be impossible." Oreo admitted a sheepish grin on his face.

"Munna is travelling with us now!" Dodger mumbled through the branch he held between his sharp teeth, pausing his game of fetch with Bianca long enough to share the little piece of news.

"Jup she decided she likes my Bianca. Who doesn't?" Oreo grunted adding a proud spring to his stride.

"What do you think about all of this Purrloin?" Marron asked addressing the feline for the first time.

The cat who had been strangely quiet during their conversation, made a point of ignoring the grass type. Marron who had seen the feline's large ears swivel didn't repeat his question.

"Is he ignoring me?" he asked doubtfully.

"You have to guess why!" Saya piped up from her place beside Oreo.

The grass type sighed, "You can't win games against a feline. I'd have to out-sneak a sneak!" his eyes narrowed at the feline who couldn't quite suppress an amused snort.

"Is it because he's a cranky cat?" Marron suggested with a hiss.

"Not this time!" Saya chirped.

"Swallowed his tongue?" he tried.

"Nope!" Thyme ventured.

"Got localy paralyzed by a Pokémon?"

"Nuh-uh."

The lizard squinted thoughtfully, "I give up! He's just lazy."

"Not all felines are lazy!" Dodger barked happily, "See Sherazade, she's what you call lazy, sleeping inside of her Pokéball all day, Cheshire doesn't even have one!"

Marron's head snapped up, staring at his friend in question. Cheshire's emerald eyes sparkled with mischief and… something else.

"She nicknamed you?"

"You guessed right." The feline replied with a loud purr, radiating calm.

* * *

><p><em>Lesson 17 chapter art available on my deviantart account MeetMeAt<em>


	19. Lesson 19

**Lesson 19: Truth is hard to swallow**

* * *

><p>"No luck whatsoever." Cheren sighed snapping his laptop shut, secretly quite disappointed in the glorious invention called the internet.<p>

Rubbing his temples the bespectacled teen scanned his surroundings over the rim of his glasses. A rather blurred looking Bianca seemed to be struggling with her Munna's bandages, the dream eater Pokémon sat eying her trainer, a thoughtful look on her face. The Pokémon couldn't decided whether the blonde was trying to redo the bandages or perform a mummification on herself.

"Maybe if we ask the people in Nacrene City? This Fennel person might've passed that city if she left her lab." I soothed noticing my friend's darkening mood.

"I thought of that too." Cheren offered thoughtfully, "But she might've used a flying type."

I raised a brow, "Quickest way of travelling." He added responding to my silent question.

"True, but despite what you seem to believe not everything has to go at the speed of light all the time." I ventured waving the cloth I had been using to polish my egg in his direction.

After telling my friends about my weird experience with Dream Mist, Cheren had made a point of getting (what he liked to call) a professional second opinion on the matter. Translated into normal human language my childhood friend was curious as hell, and wanted nothing more than to meet the scientist.

"You know you are really anxious to meet this scientist, I haven't seen you this excited since we got our last exam results. And that's like Bianca during Fashion Week or Christmas for me." I said, narrowing my eyes at a rather pink looking Cheren.

"Here she goes." He groaned burying his face in his hands, readying himself for the brunette's imagination to kick in. It wouldn't take very long before she'd come up with something, however this time the absolute ridiculousness took him by surprise.

"You have a thing for her!" I hollered loudly, lunging for his laptop and missing it by a hair.

"I do NOT!" Cheren bellowed holding the device high above his head.

"You probably have a naughty picture of her as your screensaver." I teased practically climbing his back.

"Oh yeah sure, a sane person posts those on the internet, that and you're not tempted to befriend that N guy."

All traces of chatter coming from the Pokémon suddenly ceased, furry ears twitched, evergreen scales glittered with sudden movement and every head turned to regard the raven haired teen with varying degrees of surprise.

"What? Why do you… What?" I asked taken aback, cheeks flaming, the carefree atmosphere tense all of a sudden.

"You heard me." He shot back huffing angrily at nothing in particular.

I blinked, unable to come up with a satisfying answer I decided to play dumb, "No I think I had a small short-circuit in my brain." I said in an attempt to ignore the big-ass glowing elephant in the room, weighing his words with caution and curiosity.

Noticing my sudden guarded stance and forced smile Cheren's teasing mood disappeared. _She's serious. The guy is bad news, covered from head to toe in issues._ _She always gets herself into trouble, attracts it like magnetic rocks in the Chargestone Cave._

"You love a lost cause, do you not?" Cheren asked, heavy disapproval in his voice.

"Is that a trick question?" I tried not liking the tone in his voice nor the implication.

"It's a fact." Cheren stated frowning as he watched my face redden.

I opened my mouth to argue the so called fact but got interrupted by a rather rumpled looking Bianca, who had a bandage dangling from her ear.

"You did smuggle a wild Purrloin into your house once."

Cheshire who sat perched on a thick branch opened a single emerald eye at this, the little piece of news seemed to intrigue the feline to the point of skipping his afternoon nap, which was a big deal for his kind. "Remember the one that had its collar grown into his skin?" The blonde chimed doing more damage than she realized.

Said feline had shredded my mother's curtains to ribbons, not to mention what had happened to her favorite plant or me when she came home from work that day. "Oh and remember our first year as juniors?" Bianca who seemed to enjoy the game 'Crazy things Ashe does' started ticking of one finger at a time, "There's that delinquent guy she dated two years ago!"

I blanched, "He was misunderstood and we didn't date, we were friends!"

"Funny how you kept calling him misunderstood and every other teacher preferred the term mis-bred." Cheren added a scowl firmly in place.

He had loathed the guy. Keeping the bastard away from his two best friends had cost him his grades. His brothers had loved it, even went as far as duct-tapping his rapport card to the refrigerator. Scolding Ashe who got into trouble every other day had given him grey hair, not to mention how tiring it had been to witness Bianca blush like an idiot whenever the guy greeted her. No wonder his grades dropped from straight A's to mere B's.

"He was really hot though." The blonde sighed, doing some damage control and angering a friend simultaneously.

Cheren who didn't look all too pleased at the compliment coming out of her mouth started venturing some of his frustration on the clueless blonde, ignorant of the fact I was using the more than welcome diversion to get away from the scene and from conversations that made me look like a Cherubi with a sunburn.

"Just saying, no need to yell! You where the one picking a fight! You scared Ashe off, you big bully" the blonde remarked plucking the bandage from her head and throwing it in his direction.

"Great." Cheren growled eying the empty clearing, "She got away thanks to you." He frowned with a wave. "I didn't pick a fight. And I sure as hell didn't scare her, I couldn't even if I tried to."

Opening her mouth to interject Bianca's eyes seemed to focus on something situated behind his back. Soft green eyes widened for a split of a second and softened considerably, obviously touched by something.

"Oh." She muttered non committal staring at the laptop Marron held up high with a vine whip.

An old picture of the three of them smiled at her. Judging by his screensaver the snarky teenager had a nostalgic streak, which was on display for everyone to see. Cheren groaned, he would be hearing this from Bianca until one of them grew senile and forgot.

* * *

><p><em>At this speed she might reach Nacrene City in record time. <em>Cheshire shared calmly, his eyes following Marron who was being chased by a beet red Cheren.

_Nobody dies from some good natured teasing. However truth is rather hard to swallow. _The lizard replied holding the black haired teen's most treasured possession suspended in the air, just out of reach.

Emerald eyes came to rest on the already tiny dot Cheshire recognized as his trainer.

_Indeed. Let's hope she doesn't choke on it. _The feline murmured, eyes sparkling with merriment .


	20. Lesson 20

**Lesson 20:** **Incorrect worries **

* * *

><p>"Can I ask you a personal question?"<p>

Cheren considered the unexpected request, part of him wanted to ignore the question which probably consisted of a sudden whim. _  
>Nacrene City is already in sight, whatever it is it can't delay our journey… Listening won't hurt.<em>

"Depends on what '_personal_ ' means." He replied inviting her to continue the conversation.

Bianca gave her friend a long searching stare, the serious look and her reluctance to talk about it made him even more curious, talking was never a problem with his childhood friend, getting her to shut up, now that was a challenge.

"D'you think I'm fat?"

_Damn it  
><em>  
>Stumbling over his own feet he shot her a pointed glare. <em>Unbelievable! Trust that stupid idiot to act all serious about such a silly topic.<em>

"Is this about what those guys said to you?" he inquired a slight furrow on his face.

They had encountered some trainers their age, one of them had been rather… appreciative of Cheren's female travel companions. _They were rather vocal, but shouldn't she be flattered? _

"Yeah, sort of…Kinda… I mean 'Junk in the trunk'?" She exclaimed waving a hand over her body which Cheren followed appreciatively, before he realized he was staring. "That's rude! I feel like some huge pile of meat!"

Studying his friend from the corner of his eyes, Cheren swallowed his hard words, a slightly different approach would be necessary in this kind of situation.

"Did you _hear _the stuff they said to Ashe?" He asked arching a brow.

She nodded, eyes wide.

"Do you see her worrying about it?"

When she remained silent Cheren shook his head and sighed, "Allow me to demonstrate."

"Hey Ashe!" He said raising his voice calling his friend who was walking ahead.

"What's up?" She called back.

"Have you gained weight?"

Bianca gasped and stared at her childhood friends.

Ashe who gave her bespectacled friend an appraising sort of look narrowed her eyes, the next second she burst out laughing, "Who knows? I'm on a seafood diet after all. I SEE food and I eat it. Get it?" she asked turning her back on them an nudging her grass starter. Both the Pokémon and Cheren rolled their eyes but couldn't quite stop the affectionate smile that tugged at their lips.

"Next time something like that happens, and there will be a next time, you do the same thing Ashe did." He advised shoving his hands in his pockets, one hundred percent sure that both Bianca and Ashe would attract male attention on the road again, you'd have to be blind not to notice their good looks.

"You want me to give them the finger?" She exclaimed clasping a hand over her mouth.

"Gah! No!" Cheren barked ignoring Ashe's loud snort.

"You just challenge them to a battle like she did. And-" The teenager rubbed the back of his neck, fiercely hoping he wasn't blushing, "Can't believe I'm saying this, but you're perfect. Just the way you are. So stop worrying about such a thing."

Bianca paused mid-step, nervously shuffling her feet she stared at Cheren's straight back through blond bangs. The person she had looked up to for the biggest part of her life had suddenly grown so much taller.


	21. Lesson 21

**Lesson 21:** **To fight  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"You're such a little cutie, yes you are, with those gweat big eyes!" Bianca who hovered over a wooden crib cooed, tickling the chinchilla Pokémon that giggled in a high voice and kicked aside her baby blue blanket.<p>

It is a truth universally acknowledged that females of any age simply can't resist the cuteness of an infant, human or Pokémon. They all know how to exploit certain traits such as big teary eyes and soft fur. Yes, even I had to admit that the newborn Minccino seemed to be made of sugar, spice and everything nice.  
>The fluffy tuft of white fur on its tiny head had something endearing.<p>

Cheshire had been enduring the constant tugging and nipping at his tail and ears for ten whole minutes now. The litter of purple hued kittens that kept on climbing his back were obviously delighted with their new toy. The large feline's patience with the impetuous tykes was rather impressive. "You're just a big softie." I teased when he gave me his best '_I didn't ask for this' _stare.

Marron's vine whip seemed to be rather popular among the smaller grass types, and it didn't take long before he and Saya had discovered how they could transform it into a skipping rope.

Of course it was the ever serious Cheren who seemed unaffected by the sparkly eyes that informed me of the fact every newborn Minccino was born completely white. "In their third month of life only the tip of the ears and tail retain their white color." He noted cleaning his red rimmed glasses with a pristine handkerchief used for that, and that purpose only.

"You are very educated my boy." The elderly man who owned the daycare on route 3 said, instructing an overjoyed Bianca on bottle-feeding the little rodent.

"Did you know they choose to alter the color of their fur? Around that age the character trait each mature Minccino possesses comes to the surface."

"The obsession to clean things?" Cheren tried, unable to quell his habit of answering the questions adults presented him with, even taking notes.  
>I teased him about being a teachers pet for a reason.<p>

_Once a nerd always a nerd._ I thought, managing to camouflage my loud snort as a cough.

"Indeed! Now what do you know about the color white?" The old man exclaimed delighted with his attentive listeners.

"The color white is evoked by light, coming from the sun or modern light sources such as fluorescent lamps. White is the extreme end of the visual spectrum, scientists used to believe that white was the fundamental color of light but – Hey!"

"We get the picture Einstein." I sighed elbowing him a second time, happy I had kept my mouth shut. My answer 'Clouds, ice cream and snow are white' would sound rather stupid next to the lecture Cheren Encyclopedia Kuro had just given, it wouldn't surprise me if the old man felt compelled to escort me to the kindergarten situated right next to the day care after hearing my thoughts on the matter.

_Hmpf I would be better at drawing if I went there._ My train of childish thoughts in which Cheren admitted I was smarter than him derailed with the arrival of Mrs. Black. The tall boy who followed her scored high enough on Bianca's Cute-Meter to tear her attention from the hungry Minccino.

"On a scale from 1 to 10 how HOT is he?" She whispered tapping my shoulder, staring at the brown haired male with her mouth open.

I glanced in his direction, "As hot as the milk spilling down your arms?" I suggested dodging the sudden spray of milk that came from the bottle Bianca squeezed in surprise.

"Oh Reshiram." Biana cried ducking behind me with a loud squeal.

She could hide all she wanted, the damage had been done.

Covered from head to toe in warm milk a fuming Cheren turned on Bianca, ready to hit her on the head with his now ruined notebook.

"Is she going to be okay?" An unfamiliar voice asked sounding quite amused. Chocolate colored eyes gave me a quick once-offer before settling on my face.

"Dunno death by notebook? When it comes to being clean my friend Cheren has proven to be worse than a Minccino." I joked readjusting my clothes Bianca (who was now preoccupied with keeping a table between her and Cheren) had clung to.

"I'm Touya Black." The boy said extending a hand.

"Ashe White." I said shaking his hand, "Nice hat." I added readjusting mine with a grin at his black and red colored cap.

"Graduation present." He replied with a lopsided smile, "Took gramps six hours to find one, he didn't even realize some bastard had sold him the female version.  
>Took me five more hours to exchange it." A genuine smile appeared on his face, "Prancing around with a pink cap might send some mixed signals. Don't tell him though." Touya whispered walking towards the counter where Mrs. Black now sat, taking the egg she handed him.<p>

"The Pokémon inside is in perfection condition, you are taking good care of it." The old lady said with a shaky voice, her hold on the fragile egg firm despite her old age.

With both hands free she started scribbling something on an empty form. Tilting his head reading the scribbles upside down the tall boy whistled, "That's an awesome Pokémon you have here."

The look of envy on his face enhanced my already ridiculous wide grin. "Glad to hear, since I'm going for the surprise effect." I warned adding a wink.

Touya chuckled, "You won't be disappointed."

"Glad to hear it." I sighed in relief, "For all I knew the Pokémon inside was already reduced to a scrambled egg without me knowing it."

The chocolate haired teen blinked, I waved one hand airily, "Long story."

Touya looked around, the lopsided grin reappeared on his face. "We got time." He said with a small nod towards his grandpa who seemed to badger my black haired friend into dry cleaning his jersey for him. Judging by his angered scowl Cheren wasn't very pleased with his blond haired friend, who stood close by staring a hole into her shoes. I could tell from the glum expression on her face that the prospect of being alone with Cheren was not one she found inviting. His clothes **were** rather soggy looking.

* * *

><p>Accompanied by Cheren and Bianca the three of us got a grand tour of the day care. Mr. and Mrs. Black had picked the best possible location for breeding and training Pokémon. Surrounded by trees flying types eyed us from high up their nests, their piercing eyes following our every move.<br>A spacious pond harbored countless water types, the remaining land consisted of lush meadows where a small herd of Blitzle stood grazing.

Touya who had been raised by his grandparents, (Bianca shot me a horrified look at this) had just started his journey. A blue furred Dewott nicknamed Thames barked and pulled itself to his full height when three Pokédexes were aimed in his direction. Saya blushed from head to toe upon seeing the majestic otter and hid her round face behind her shell.

Cheren who showered the older teen with questions about his Dewott received not one but two jabs to the ribs. Only after challenging Touya to a battle and to our utmost surprise admitting defeat against a super strong Thames did the tour continue, the raven haired teen would share his hidden agenda when he felt like it, he was coping with the loss as if it were nothing, which wasn't like Cheren, he hated losing.

"Say Touya." I began trailing the herd of black and white striped Pokémon, "What?" Touya asked a frown still on his face, he hadn't liked the things we told him about Team Plasma, his grandparents owned a Pokémon day care, somehow Touya knew that Team Plasma members wouldn't appear on their list of customers.

"Those Blitzle, are they wild Pokémon?"

"Yeah, sort of, they come and go." He muttered, "I mean some of them are rather tame, the kindergartners sometimes come over to play with them. You want to try and catch one? Be my guest." He replied realizing what I was asking.

"Hell yeah!" I exclaimed already vaulting myself over the wooden fence, Marron and Cheshire hot on my tail.  
><em><br>This is going to be fun. _Marron who trotted next to me hissed, his sensitive scales had already picked up the static that hung in the air. It promised a good fight.  
><em><br>Speak for yourself. _Cheshire hissed ignoring Ashe's muffled chuckle at the sight of his fur.

"It's as if Mr. Black dry cleaned you instead of Cheren's sports jacket." I snorted averted my eyes from the fuzzy ball of fur formerly known as Cheshire.

"Crap." I cursed noticing how the strands of hair that escaped my ponytail rose up into the air.

Cheshire's walk gained a new spring. _What goes around comes around, _he purred haughtily.  
><em><br>_Slowly walking towards a tall Blitzle who's stripes hadn't lit up with electricity I stopped. The striped Pokémon glanced at me, yellow rimmed blue eyes blinked.

"Hey girl." I smiled. Ears flicked in response, nostrils flared with curiosity. Lowering its large head with the utmost care the Blitzle allowed me to pet her neck.

Encouraged the rest of the herd soon followed and I found myself surrounded by nudging noses and scraping hooves.

"Wish I knew what they we're saying." I muttered seeing how Marron and Cheshire chattered casually with the herd understanding their soft nickering.  
><em><br>This one claims she runs the fastest. _Marron shared pointing towards a fairly large black and white Pokémon who reared up on hind legs, jagged horn flashing with light.

_These two are twins if caught they would prefer being caught by the same trainer. _Purrloin replied scanning the young pair who's markings were identical.  
><em><br>Here's a mare and her foal, the little one inherited his father's shock wave attack, he's very proud of it.  
><em>  
>The hissing, meowing and barking sped up as more and more Pokémon joined in on the conversation.<p>

_I'm the best in defense!_

_Fiercest kick!_

_Mum's eyes!_

The sentence "_I'm black with white stripes!"_ seemed to be an inside joke amongst the herd and a whole new discussion broke loose.  
><em><br>"You're white with black stripes you donkey." _One of the twins barked to his brother pawing the grass with a small hoof.

"Are they arguing?" I ventured softly. Marron who shifted his impassive gaze from the herd to me shook his head. Preferring to demonstrate the lizard pointed towards the Pokémon's short stiff fur.

"Who has the shiniest fur?" I tried.

"Longest legs?"

A scaled paw pointed a second time, crimson eyes closed for a second.

"Ah man I suck at Hints." I sighed scratching the back of my neck, "Prettiest stripes?"

Cheshire's ear swiveled, something I interpreted as an encouragement, not a yes nor a no.

"They're black and white…" I mused aloud staring at flashing manes.

"Oh-Oh!" Marron who was pointing with both his paws and vine whips almost fell from the Blitzle's back.

"They're wondering who's black with white stripes or the other way round! Like the Blitzle in that DreamWorks movie!"

The sudden barks of happiness confirmed my guess and I tried cheering without raising my voice too much.

_Don't know who this DreamWorks guy is but I'm impressed, she's worse than you in this game but still got it right. _Cheshire purred eying his trainer who's face suddenly clouded.

N_ow what? H_e hissed.  
><em><br>_That's sad." I huffed folding my arms over my chest, "Kinda like Pokémon racism."

The idea that something so human lived amongst Pokémon felt wrong, they were above crap like that.  
><em><br>What's racism? _Cheshire asked aloud, slipping up in front of the grass type yet again.  
><em><br>Some kind of human disease? Ashe's looking awfully white all of a sudden._ Marron replied, frowning at the expression on his trainer's face.

I looked at the pack of zebra-like Pokémon, shaking my head vigorously, they seemed a close-knit pack and the conversation about their stripes had been just that,  
>a conversation and nothing more. <em>Humans would be yelling and screaming at each other by now.<br>_  
>"If you have the same amount of black and white stripes raise a… hoof?" I tried flashing a goofy smile.<p>

* * *

><p>"You sure this is safe?" Cheren asked trailing his friend who almost disappeared in the clustered group of Pokémon.<p>

"What if they attack her?" Bianca added gripping the wooden fence with such force her knuckles turned white.

"She'll be fine." Said Touya, though he sounded a bit doubtful, "As long as she avoids sudden movements or loud noise there should be no –"

"TOUYA TOUYA THOSE SCARY MEN STOLE MY FLUFFY! " The preschooler's high wailing voice cracked like a whip through the air. Clasping a hand over the crying child's mouth Touya whirled around.

"This is bad."

Agitated by the yelling several Blitzle shone with electric energy, Ashe who was doing a rather good job at soothing the flighty Pokémon shot them a confused look.  
>All might've ended well if a Pokémon's frightened cry hadn't reverberated through the sky. Two figures clad in ridiculous costumes barreled past the meadow.<p>

All might've ended well but then all hell broke loose.

"Shit!" Cheren (who rarely swore out loud) growled releasing every Pokémon he owned.

"Oh my god, this is terrible!" Bianca screamed peeking through her beret at the stampeding herd.

"Well Touya. Allow me to introduce you to Team Plasma." The dark teenager shared climbing the fence before sending his Pokémon towards the crazed Blitzle.

* * *

><p>"How the fuck did this happen!" I screamed stretching my legs as far as possible outrunning the pack by sheer luck, all the while thanking the heavens for joining the track team despite my mother's protests.<p>

The close group of Pokémon moved in unison and seemed to be driven by the same panic. A young foal had been startled by a strange cry, it's fear had infected the others and before I knew it the whole herd had literally gone berserk.

"Run Ashe, run!" Bianca cried sounding as if she were on the brink of a complete nervous breakdown.

"I'm not Forrest-freakin'-Gump!" I yelled back.

A sharp yowl had me stumbling, panic was written all over Marron's face as Cheshire disappeared in a blur of black hooves for a split of a second.  
>The feline had shoved him out of the way, by doing so he had been slowed down enough for the leading Blitzle to catch up on him. Gripping him by the scruff of his neck with his ever handy vine whip the grass type threw the feline against my chest. Yanking the rope-like appendages I caught the grass type in turn.<br>Biting and scratching both Pokémon tried to get closer in my embrace.

My heart sank. Jumping the meadow's fence would require wings or a trampoline…

I would never forgive myself if something happened to Marron or Cheshire, if I had to choose between being hurt or seeing them get hurt my pick was a no-brainer.

"End of the ride guys! Cheshire this is new to you but don't you dare come out!" I huffed, pressing the buttons of the two lone Pokéballs on my belt. Both Pokémon disappeared in a flash of red light, giving me free use of my arms again.

Readying myself for the jump a sudden push against my back sent me flying over it with a low "Oof!"

Nickering a loud _Upsy-daisy, _the electric Pokémon landed graciously across the fence as if she scooped up humans almost twice her size on a daily base.

"I'm dead." I moaned ignoring the soft nose that poked and prodded me.

* * *

><p>"They're DEAD!" I fumed scaring the girl in Bianca's arms who cringed.<p>

The motherly blonde uncovered the little girl's ears. "It's okay sweetie, big sister will _stop_ yelling." She spoke softly, sending me a warning look that clearly said there would be hell to pay if I cursed or yelled in front of the kid again. Big puffy eyes gave me a watery look, Cheren who couldn't bare crying females and snotty noses being wiped on sleeves handed her his handkerchief.

"Big sister Ashe and big brother Cheren will go and kick their a-"

"Language!" Bianca hissed patting the girl's back.

"-talk to them."

"You'll bring Fluffy back?" The kindergartner asked lower lip trembling.

The Blitzle who had tossed me over the fence like a bag of potatoes nudged my shoulder and gave me a pointed look. By the time the probability of being tossed back into the meadow occurred to me I had already come up with a plan to comfort the girl.

"I'll pinky promise on it." I answered with a solemn look on my face offering her my pinky finger.

"Really?" Reassured by such a serious commitment she entwined her finger with mine.

Kneeling next to her I decided to give the girl something to do during our absence instead of worrying or crying. "Could you promise me something in return?" I asked in a soothing voice giving her my sweetest smile. Swallowing back her tears she nodded, "Big brother Touya and his grandparents might be scared, so could you be a big girl and reassure them?"

Hesitating her brown eyes glided up towards Bianca, "I will if the nice lady stays with me."

It took Bianca about five seconds to conjure a watery smile on the girl's face. She had always been good with children.

"Be safe!" Biana shouted with a wave.

"You know me!" I answered hitting Cheren on the head when I caught him mumbling "That's why she worries."

"Not every girl can claim she survived a stampede." He scowled rubbing his head.

"Hey it's an interesting topic to talk about during dates!" I chimed walking in Blitzle's hoofprints, who seemed to have a knack for dodging puddles and mud.

The black haired teen snorted, "Funny, you use it during dates, I'll be using it during therapy."

"Win-Win!" I yelled with a fist pump.

* * *

><p>Cheren who solemnly believed in the element of surprise could've strangled his friend for her impulsive actions. Yelling at the top of your lungs inside a cavern wasn't very subtle. It was dumb, unnecessary and his friend did exactly that.<p>

"What?" I exclaimed clawing at his hand that covered my mouth.

"Be quiet- Hyaa! Did you just lick my hand?"

"Shhhh."

"Don't you shush me Ashe Justine White." Cheren growled ignoring the water dripping from the ceiling and soiling his shoes.

My angry retaliation died on my lips at the sound of laughter. "Did you follow us to hand over your Pokémon?" Stepping inside the light of Blitzle's jagged mane a Plasma grunt appeared out of nowhere quickly followed by three more.

"Yeah and after I did just that I want to join Team Plasma." I replied acidly, "And since it's dark I might inform you of the fact I'm rolling my eyes."

"Give us the Cottonee you stole." Cheren demanded, releasing a newly evolved Saya who barked at the small army of Pokémon in front of her.

"She evolved?" I gasped pointing out the obvious, eying the whiskered otter that was busy scaring the crap out of a Patrat, "When did that happen?"

"Stopping a whole herd of Blitzle has its advantages, and I had my reasons for challenging Touya." He pointed out looking awfully smug.

"Meddlesome children we will take your Pokémon for getting in our way!"

Not one but four Patrat chose that moment to attack, the zebra Pokémon surprised both Cheren and I when she obeyed my instructions and lit up the whole cave with bolts of electricity.

"Ashe!" Cheren hissed dodging the residue rocks that were sent flying by one of Saya's slashing attacks, "Use Marron and Cheshire!"

"I don't know – Blitzle behind you, kick him! – if they're up for it!"

"Try!" He yelled returning a tiring Thyme and releasing Sherazade who gave the Pokémon responsible for Saya's wounds a welcoming swipe.

"Marron, Cheshire help us out!" Shouting their names both Pokémon materialized on the battle field. A black bruise about the size of a Blitzle's hoof stood out against the grass type's evergreen scales. It was the kind of bruise that would look worse before it got better.

Cheshire refused to meet my eyes and turned his back on me, swiping his sickle shaped tail in agitation. He had looked better with his fur all static and stuff.

The adrenaline I had felt from fighting alongside Cheren, while using Blitzle snuffed out like a candle.

I felt useless, a pathetic excuse for a trainer, _'Mum would be ashamed of me.' _I thought fighting my tears.

_You don't deserve to cry, they're the ones who got hurt, and do you see them crying?_

Maybe I was being a burden to them. _  
><em>  
><em>Stupid idiot, we are more than capable of protecting you too! <em>Marron hissed angrily, idly punching an incoming Patrat in the face with his vine whip. _You wait for your turn rodent! _he leered at the flabbergasted Patrat. The poor Pokémon actually nodded and ran for it.

"See that?" One of the grunts spoke to his partners in crime, pointing an accusing finger in my direction, "Even her Pokémon think she's an annoying little brat!"

Gritting my teeth I ignored the painfully true comment, guiding four Pokémon (Cheshire simply refused to listen and stood on the sidelines) we managed to gain the upper hand in the battle. Blitlze resembling a beacon of light carried Marron who threw his opponents towards a waiting Saya demonstrating that you **_could _**play a game of baseball without a real ball or bat. All you needed was something throwable – Patrat – and something you could use to hit with – Scallops.

The amount of Plasma Grunts and Pokémon kept growing at an alarming rate, and with that the rudeness of their taunts enhanced.

It was Cheshire, shivering with suppressed rage who blew them away with a strange fire attack that exploded inside the cave with the power of a raging inferno.  
>Six adult males, ten Pokémon and parts of the cavern's wall went down from the attack's aftermath. It's power threw the purple cat back with the force of an incoming Bouffalant, clutching the feline against my chest I dropped to my knees watching as Cheren handled the dazed grunts.<p>

"We'll give you back the Pokémon. " One of them spat, supporting his broken arm, his eyes moved in my direction and narrowed, I tightened my hold on the limp feline, "But be aware of how every Pokémon suffers from being used by people." With that said he tossed the Pokéball containing Cottonee to Cheren who caught it with an unimpressed "Whatever."

* * *

><p>"Why the long face we got the Pokémon back!" Cheren asked as we excited the cavern, blinking against the bright light.<p>

"You go ahead. I have something I need to do." I replied faking a bright smile, gesturing vaguely towards Blitzle.

"Oh. Yeah. Hurry okay?" Grey eyes studied my face.

"Sure." I said hating the sound of my voice.

No one, not even Blitzle fell for the act.

Hurting the one's I loved hurt like hell.


	22. Lesson 22

**Lesson 22: Strange assistance**

* * *

><p>"Yaaaay! Fluffy! I missed you so much!" Squeezing the puffy Cottonee most fittingly nicknamed Fluffy both Pokémon and young trainer cried with relief.<p>

"Thank you!" she squealed grabbing Cheren and Biana in a tight hug.

"Where's the other girl, the one that yells a lot? Lily wants to say thank you to her too!"

The black haired teen frowned.

"What's wrong?" Bianca asked scrutinizing his face through narrowed eyes.

Lily's bear hug had some advantages, it kept Cheren from turning his back on her.

"Tell me!" Bianca inquired still using the motherly voice she used on the child making him feel like a preschooler too.

"Nothing, what could be wrong?" he replied blandly tugging the little girl's hand, trying to escape.

Not pleased with his attempts to avoid her the blonde grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, "You have that face!"

Eying the position of her hand on his body he raised a thin black brow suggestively, "What's wrong with my face?"

Intent green eyes were fixed on him, her sudden closeness was distracting, "You scowl when you're worried about something." Bianca snapped.

"Bianca," he sighed, "I always scowl, remember you nicknamed me Scowlyface for about three years?" Brushing her hand aside he slowly nudged the preschooler towards Bianca.

"This is different, you get a tiny crease between your eyebrows when you worry for real."

_How does she know that? _He thought startled. Since when did Bianca become aware of her surroundings or more importantly his behavioral pattern?

"Okay okay!" he exclaimed raising his hands in defeat, "First of all you shouldn't know about that face."

Bianca straightened, knowing what he was trying to do, "You are stalling."

"It's her Purrloin."

The bubbly blonde blinked in surprise at the unexpected subject of conversation, "Ashe's Purrloin? Cheshire?" She asked confused.

"We we're fighting those Plasma goons and… he did something strange."

"Strange?" She pressed.

Cheren gave it some thought and found himself pacing, "I have Sherazade so I know every potential move she or her evolved form will or could learn, there are no fire moves amongst their species!"

Bianca frowned, "You lost me, you're saying Cheshire used a fire type move? Maybe it was-

"Assist." Cheren interrupted her, "I thought of that too, but here's where it gets strange, there was no fire Pokémon in our direct environment! We were fighting in a cave for god's sake!"

The girl nodded once "That is strange… But hey! Cheshire won and we got the Pokémon back right! We should be smiling not scowling, turn that frown upside down!"

The young man found himself unable to spoil the optimistic girl's fun, and gave her a small smile. At heart he knew that the devastating attack had been… something more, it was dangerous and he didn't like it.

The image of five Patrat conjuring spheres of light to protect themselves and their trainers was burned into his retina. An attack shattering several 'protects' shouldn't exist.

_I'm thankful they knew such a defensive move, all of them could've been ripped to pieces if they hadn't used it. _


	23. Lesson 23

**Lesson 23: One hundred suns until we part  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Sorry you guys got hurt." My eyes welled up against my will and I sagged down on the humid grass, shoulders hunched.<p>

They were my Pokémon, one of them all bruised up staring at me as if I had grown a second head, the other barely conscious clutching my arm with sharp claws.  
>My Pokémon, friends who trusted me to keep them save, happy and healthy, got hurt in return.<p>

"Marron y-you could have broken something, and Cheshire when you d-disappeared. I didn't protect you. Screwed up big time. I don't agree with the things Team Plasma says about other trainers but… it applies to someone like me." I said with a finality to my words that made Marron and Cheshire cringe.

Sharp fangs pierced my wristband and pressed against my skin without hurting me, it was the feline's way of expressing his disapproval in an oddly tender way.

A slender vine whip readjusted my askew cap and dried the salty trails lingering on my cheeks, the grass type released a hiss of disapproval when fresh tears undid his efforts.

My line of sight became filled with black and white stripes when Blitzle rested her heavy head on my shoulder, and I whispered a heartfelt "Thank you" towards the small equine who sent me a soft jolt of electricity in return.

Blitzle didn't grasp the majority of the girl's sorrow but recognized regret and gratitude when she saw it. The emotion was present in tearful cerulean, oddly shining maroon and overflowing emerald.


	24. Lesson 24

**Lesson 24: Unexpected request  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Ugh… mum two more minutes." I moaned ignoring the soft nudging in my ribs curling myself into a tight ball. The obnoxious poking ceased and I sighed blissfully, indulging myself by gathering Cheshire and Marron closer to my stomach. <em>They're like living heat pack's, <em>I thought absent minded, jerking in surprise when Cheshire stirred in his sleep, rubbing his wet nose against my skin.

Reaching Nacrene City had been quite a walk, the sun had long set when Nacrene's trademark warehouses appeared on the horizon, the city itself shone like a beacon of light, more impressive and populated than Accumala had been. However even the sight of the huge Unova Museum hadn't been interesting enough to stifle a huge yawn coming from Cheren and Bianca dead on her feet had to be supported. After dragging ourselves towards the local Pokémon Centre, thankful for the building's prominent red roof a slurred "night" had been the end of that day. The start of yet a new one would be shocking in more ways than one.

"Chereeen!" The pressure on my back returned with a vengeance and became rather hard to ignore to the point of nearly chucking me out of the bed.

"I know I promised we'd visit the museum but dude have some mercy, the fossils won't be running of very soon." I growled waving a fist hoping I'd get lucky and my hand would collide with his face.

Flicking her ears in agitation the small equine, who would soon be notorious for her methods of waking people sent a jolt of electricity at the big toe that peeked out from underneath a mountain of sheets and pillows.

"Hiyaaaa!"

My head still fuzzy with sleep traded its soft pillow for a hard wooden floor, rubbing my sore skull I cracked open a single eye, "Oooow, why did you – ooooow. That was so unnecessary."

_The sun's out silly! Sunrise means rise, rise!_ The Pokémon barked prancing through the room, hooves clicking with excitement.

"Sunrise means rise my ass." I grumbled, "Sometimes us humans just got to love Pokémon related logic, like why can we only carry up to six of you guys with us?  
>I mean grow a brain or something! There are loads of Pokémon, however you can only pick six of them as your team…Good luck with that! If I ever get my hands on the idiot who invented such a stupid rule… "<p>

I have to admit, I'm far from a morning person, rise and shine simply doesn't apply to me and Blitzle with her glowing mane practically radiated energy.

_Up, up, up! _She barked at a disheveled Cheshire that arched and stretched his back in a very feline manner before joining a snoozing Marron. The grass type had nicked my pillow before it grew cold in my absence, the sneaky little snake.

"Bathroom please. Zap me when the Blitzle-express arrives." I said, noticing how Blitzle's tugging movements kinda rolled me in the desired direction. A nice hot shower would do the trick, it was that or being electrocuted again.

The zebra Pokémon showed great interest in bathing supplies and sniffed every bottle I presented her with, attracted by the bright colors and alien scents Blitzle moved in closer. Her soft muzzle was soon followed by perked up sensitive ears that flicked and moved from the water falling on top of them, only her rear remained outside the cramped shower cabin and before I realized it I found myself cleaning and scrubbing her short rough fur. Counting her stripes the two of us came to the conclusion she had to be the only Blitzle with twenty black and twenty white stripes.

"That and smelling like human shampoo makes you one unique horsey." I winked with a tap to her nose.

Scrubbing my skin while humming happily, I had to act quick when the Pokémon tried to take a bite from a bar of soap and sneezed in my face from the strong scent. Marron dragging along a hissing Cheshire joined the fun and I took my time to clean and groom each and every one of them. By the time we grew tired of Marron's life-size bubble blower he smartly constructed by bending his vine whip into a loop the bathroom had been irrevocably transformed into a water slide.

"The cleaning lady might not like this." I snorted shielding my face when Blitzle shook her fur treating us to a second shower.

* * *

><p>"So who's up for a morning run?" I chimed eying the suddenly preoccupied Pokémon in front of me with a look of excitement only Blitzle returned.<p>

"Sheez guys not all at once?"

_I think that bump on her head dented her brains. _The feline purred without even opening his eyes. After having his fur brushed and dried he didn't feel like moving for quite some time, taking a bath was rather pointless if you went for a run five seconds afterwards, the girl's hair wasn't even dry and yet she was already planning the rest of their day. To top it off, his kind simply didn't bathe for their pleasure.

_I'm asleep. _The grass type hissed lowly from under his leafy tail that covered his eyes.

_Well I'm going! _Blitzle barked flashing her mane and scraping her hooves impatiently.

"Ha that's more like it, us girls got to stick together !" I grinned at the electric type, returning her in her Pokéball before she broke the door in her eagerness.

Jumping about on one leg struggling with the laces of my running shoes, I grabbed my ipod. "Don't come crying to me when all the other Pokémon call you chubby." I teased the stragglers before slamming the door shut.

* * *

><p>Reaching my arms towards the endless sky just for the fun of it I enjoyed the crisp morning air. "I love autumn." I muttered to myself tossing Raisa's Pokéball in the air so she could benefit from the nice weather and stretch her legs. Prancing about like a young foal the small equine barked in delight, copying my warm up moves.<p>

"Okay, I suggest we begin with a run around this block, since we don't know the city that good. On the count of three!"

"One…" a hoof scratched against the concrete,

"Two…" I arched my legs fighting of a give-way grin,

"Fooled yah!" I yelled barreling of at high speed, laughing maniacally for the emphasis of it all. Rolling her sky blue eyes as if to say 'Humans' the zebra Pokémon sprung into action matching the length of her steps to mine after giving me a taste of real speed.

* * *

><p>Listening to the men's bickering, N couldn't help but feel rather superior. The one with the hat kept staring at the square-checkered board in front of him as if the perfect move would appear miraculously.<p>

"He does need a miracle to save his queen from that knight." The teenager mused aloud scratching Zero's ears, the black fox's chest rose and fell with a deep sigh,

_It's funny how you're breaking your head over the old man's next move, and all I'm thinking about is what move I feel like using when I knock over that board._

A sudden movement caught N's attention and he found himself staring at the scene in front of him. Running next to a Blitzle he hadn't seen before, the brown haired girl with the blue eyes ran on the other side of the road at a swift but calculated pace. Studying the nickering Pokémon the teenager had to admit the small equine seemed to be having the time of her life, striped fur shone under the sun, a short tail swished happily, the Pokémon was a picture of health and contentment.

The girl, Ashe, flashed the Pokémon a goofy grin, some weird rope-like thingy seemed to be attached to her ears. Sensing his friend's sudden tension Zero stared in the same direction, sniffing the air. _There's music in those strings, _he shared flicking his ears, adding _She caught a new Pokémon._

Slightly tilting his head N kept his attention on the girl. Her loud laughter had caught the men's attention, according to Zero one of them said something about her legs. Somehow that comment pissed him of greatly. Her bright red shorts were rather short… his brain didn't even register the absolute ridiculousness of the statement 'Shorts are short'.

A_t least the music keeps her from hearing those bastards._

Unaware of the cold or how inappropriate it was for someone her age to act like that she started zigzagging and jumping into puddles of muddy water, challenging the Blitzle to a game of catch. Rounding the corner and trading hard concrete for a gravel road the girl stopped short, the zebra Pokémon barely managed to dodge her, and barked in surprise.

_She is one reckless human_. N thought studying the girl who stood hunched over, hands on her knees.

The zebra offering her some support snickered at something she said and the two of them seemed to get ready for a race of some sort. Ashe taking on some weird pose arched her legs, Blitzle copied her move, mane alight with anticipation. One of the men broke the duo's concentration and seemed to ask something to the brunette who frowned and straightened. It was almost silly how seriously they took something as trivial as a morning run.

_What's she doing now? _Zero asked as she walked towards the men, moving dangerously close to their hide out.

"You tell me." N replied resisting the urge to start laughing when the girl did the unthinkable. Pointing towards the board she suggested a move even he hadn't come up with (yet), securing not only the endangered queen but placing the opponent's king under threat of capture. Eyes bulging both men stared at the board, the one wearing the hat flashed Ashe a secretive grin and winked.

N scoffed, you'd have to be an absolute moron to lose the game after a move like that, and both players knew it. Tuning out the shocked opponent's blabbering the green haired teen strained his ears to catch the grinning girl's departure comment, "They say in chess you've got to kill the queen and then you made it. Better protect her."

N studied her, the girl had to be the most aggravating person he had ever met in his life, she was like a frustrating puzzle, parts of her were kind of easy to understand.  
>For example the fact she liked to jump into puddles made her almost childlike to him. A good dose of recklessness, maybe a tad naïve and strong headed, but a good person at heart...<p>

_He didn't just think that, good and human simply don't match, it was like claiming one plus one equaled three…_- But then there were the things she said sometimes, how she seemed to look at him and really saw him, the way people and Pokémon seemed to adore her…

When studying that aspect of her personality things were bound to get complicated.

"I'm going to have a talk with her." N said, getting to his feet calculating the distance she had gone at her speed.

Ignoring the polite nods he received from the two men he made his way through the small park, Zero took his time to hiss at the chess players before changing into a tiny blue eyed Pidove.

* * *

><p>Sitting on a wooden bench I welcomed the soft breeze that caressed my flushed face. I stretched my arms and legs to free myself from the stiffness with a wince,<p>

"I'll be feeling that tomorrow." I groaned already fearing the prospect of aching muscles in a lethal combination with Raisa's morning shock therapy.

As a trainer not just my Pokémon had to be in perfect shape, it was my task to work alongside my team and if that meant running, swimming or actual close combat I'd do just those things, hell I'd fly if I could or had a suicidal streak.

Running was an easy way to train endurance, in my opinion one of the most important aspects in battle.

_If a Pokémon grows tired during a fight it makes them prone to attacks. That won't happen if I can help it. Strong Pokémon require a strong trainer. _

Studying my surroundings Nacrene City woke from its slumber. Buildings and warehouses restored to their former glory were painted in a variety of colors and shone brightly in the morning sun. Local artists were readying themselves, expecting a hoard of tourists due to the nice weather. The city was known for its great artists, upon arrival dozens of those armed with clipboard easels sketched portraits with or without said tourist's consent.

A firm "PISS OFF" could save you from spending 80 dollars on a portrait you didn't want or like, it was that or endangering yourself to getting hit on the head with a canvas painting or being stalked by a pissed of artist. Closing my eyes I listened to the sound of Raisa's hooves.

_Even cities can be rather peaceful.  
><em>  
>"Ashe."<p>

Choking on nothing but air I sprung to my feet hitting the top of my head against N's chin.

"Err, ow?"

"Shit!"

Both shouting in unison I pulled back, rubbing my throbbing head, cursing through gritted teeth. "Oww, poor head, it'll leave a dent the size of the Grand Canyon."

Jumping in surprise and nearly repeating the accident that transpired mere seconds ago I cringed when a pair of hands removed my baseball cap and trailed through my hair with the utmost care. Snapping my head upwards I stared at the man in front of me. "Let go of me you brick head!" I snapped pushing against his chest. The guy was standing way to close for comfort and the look in his soft green eyes was almost… gentle? Him being this close wasn't good for the heart, but his cool hands did feel rather go-

_Get a grip girl! _I thought embarrassed by my girlish thoughts slapping my cheeks.

Blinking a couple times, N watched the reddening girl in front of him, she was glaring at **him**, the future King of Unova. He couldn't quite shake the feeling she had just insulted him too

"If I'm not mistaken it was your head ramming into my face." He stated turning my cap in his hands.

"Yeah well what kind of person sneaks up on someone who has her eyes closed?" I snapped done with the way he stared at me, lunging for my cap.

Turning my back on him I walked towards Raisa who stretched her long neck and sniffed. _He smells like a good person, _she barked edging closer towards the man's outstretched hand.

"Hmpf. Don't hold back on the electricity Raisa." I growled secretly hoping she'd set his hair on end.

Taking a well deserved swig from a small bottle of water, I coaxed Raisa into drinking some of the water I held in my cupped hands ignoring N who simply stood there staring at me with his head slightly tilted.

"What did you mean by that? Kill the queen and then you made it?"

I froze, "You spying on me?" drying my hands on my shorts I rose to my full height.

"You play chess?" He inquired tossing my question to the side with a shake of his hand.

My eyebrows shot up, this was too good for words, "You want to talk about hobbies?"

Expecting a nod or even a new question he merely shrugged, the guy was actually trying to have a civilized conversation, one that didn't end with me attacking him, or him threatening me.

Deciding to allow him a small victory I shrugged, "Cheren, my friend, taught me how to play, always kicks my ass."

Pursing his lips into a tight line he frowned, his hands that were petting Raisa stopped, "He shouldn't kick you." He mused aloud shaking his head.

I stared at him, not sure to take him serious or to burst out laughing. Solemn eyes met mine. _O__r he has the world's best pokerface or the guy is being serious._

Opening my mouth to say something in return my stomach growled loud enough for him to hear. A tense silence already started to unfold.

_Great, that actually sounded like I just ate someone, _I thought biting my lower lip cursing myself for not deluding the noise with a cough.

"Where's the lightning?" N mused aloud staring up into the sky with his mouth half open, "Thunder is always followed by lightning!" he informed me, squinting his eyes against the bright blue sky counting aloud.

_And the award for The World's Best Pokerface goes to!_

"6, 7, 8, 9, - "

_He still counts the seconds between thunder and lightning …_

"That was my stomach you douche!" I yelled, painfully aware of my scarlet face, "Come on." I hissed tugging at his arm suppressing the urge to smack him for being so unreasonably innocent.

"My treat." I huffed shoving a huge waffle topped with powdered sugar in his hands, sharing mine which was topped with maple syrup with Raisa. Staring at the sweet treat with round eyes I caught him sniffing it with a questioning look on his face. Chuckling at his uneasy attitude I slowed down my pacing, "I didn't poison it you know." I said with a smile I hoped was too mocking

Rolling his eyes the teenager took a small bite, "It's sweet!" he exclaimed wrinkling his nose, unaware of his sugar covered face.

"Course it's sweet Captain Obvious." I laughed dodging a striped muzzle that was trying to do everything in its power to reach my breakfast.

Raisa who walked in between us barely flicked her ears when a small Pidove landed on top of her head in a flurry of feathers. The small pigeon shot me a piercing glare before cooing at N.

"The two of you are kind of inseparable." I commented while balancing on the unused railway tracks that ran throughout the entire city.

He blinked, "It's the first time you've seen me with a Pidove." He pointed out, eyes down on the road.

"Oh I know that." I chuckled unaware of the sudden tense atmosphere. Lying wasn't his thing.

"I haven't seen you accompanied by a Pidove, however a Pokémon with startling eyes like the one over there has snapped at me on more than one occasion. He's very protective when it comes to you. And normal Pidove don't have a glare like that, the local Purrloin would die from a heart attack if one of them turned on a feline with a glare like that."

A small smile appeared on the boy's face. "He's…" he muttered slowly, "a friend."

The grey flying type chose that moment to perch on his shoulder, puffing up his feathers in an obvious sign of indignation.

_More like an ill tempered bodyguard._

I let out a loud sigh, the guy wasn't going to like my next comment but he needed to hear it from someone… _What? Someone close to him? A friend?  
><em>Shaking my head as if to free myself from unwanted thoughts that gave me nothing more than a headache I turned towards the tall teenager, "Here's the deal, that Pokémon." I said with a nod towards the creature situated on his shoulder, "is special. There's this organization called Team Plasma who steal Pokémon from their trainers. You have to protect him from people like them."

N's head shot upwards when I mentioned the criminals, a look of utter disbelief on his face. Interpreting his reaction more wrongly than I would ever expect myself to I nodded my head as if the two of us had agreed on something, "That's what I meant with 'Kill the queen and then you made it'. Get the queen which leaves the road that leads towards the King open and unguarded. Find the one who's behind the whole charade and BAM make him pay."

N balled his hands into fists, shaking with subdued rage, "So they want to free Pokémon?" he asked gritting his teeth to keep himself from shouting.

"Yeah, they're very… fanatic about it. And with fanatic I mean downright nuts." I replied nonchalantly.

"Explain." N growled secretly relishing in the fact that the two Pokéballs attached to my belt were silent.

"Feelings. They don't consider the Pokémon nor the trainer's feelings." I whispered kicking a rock into a row of bushes avoiding N's eyes.

"Pokéballs restrain Pokémon in more way than one, believe me I get that." I said with a frown chewing my lip in search of words. The older boy walking next to me had fallen silent, "However humans who care, truly care about their Pokémon understand the sacrifice they bring in order to accomplish that something more." I was rambling, naive, pretentious words I couldn't live up to even if I tried my hardest, but it was the truth nonetheless.

"I've seen Team Plasma and their so called mission." I continued, "I saw a mission more noble than the lies Team Rocket and Team Galactic hid behind, but they're still nothing more than a bunch of pathetic adults, bullying the weak."

"I'm utterly defeated." N groaned running his hands through his bangs. The girl's mere presence made him feel uneasy, the way her eyes lit up with a strange light when she talked to him, she was beautiful, to the point he almost forgave her for the heartfelt words that broke down everything he stood for. Almost.

"I… want to see things no one can see." He said, his words a jumble of sounds. "A future where Pokémon have become perfect creatures. Pokémon shouldn't suffer, they should be freed from humans, do you agree?"

Noticing the sudden transformation in his demeanor I exchanged a worried glance with Raisa, the innocent N had made room for the fast talking confident version who's eyes seemed to glaze over.

Emerald met blue, pinning me with a predatorily stare.

I shivered and cursed mentally for lowering my guard in front of him. Taking a step closer he loomed over me. H_e expects me to respond! _ _Whatever I say he won't like it!_

I panicked. He took another step forward, I took one backwards.

"Now don't bite my head off," I warned waving my hands in front of his face in order to distract him from his obvious attempts to read my mind and failing miserably since he didn't even blink.

"I kind of like the world…flawed. To put it bluntly I'd rather kiss a Seismitoad than live in a world filled with goody two-shoes."

N froze, his face constricted in what I could only describe as a pained expression, hiding his face in his palm he hunched over slightly.

"Whoa. Whoa. You're not allergic to dairy right? Are you sick?" I squeaked placing my hand on his twitching shoulder on the verge of yelling for help.

Hysteric giggles reached my ears and I held my breath, _That big kid! How dare he!  
><em>  
>"Stop it!" I yelled with a swat on his shoulder, turning a light pink upon realizing he was laughing at me.<p>

His amusement developed into a real roaring laugh, the two of us had been in a similar situation before only the one cracking up wasn't me this time.

_Oh Ashe broke your friend! _Raisa barked at Zero, the pigeon found himself unable to do anything more productive than gawk. _N never laughs in front of a human!  
><em>  
>An involuntary smile tugged at my lips at the sight of his happiness and I no longer tried to force him out of it. Laughing once in a while wouldn't kill him, <em>He's a lot like Cheren when it comes to relaxing around others, <em>I thought fondly, raising a single brow when the green haired teenager regained his composure effortlessly,

"Oh don't mind me, do continue." I remarked placing a hand on my hip.

"Forgive me, that was very rude." N replied once again in full business mode, hiding his raging emotions from the girl in front of him.

"Yup and totally out of the blue, I meant what I said you know."

"About the Seismitoad?"

"Yes!"

"No! God no! I meant what I said about trainers and their Pokémon."

"…Ashe?"

It felt weird to hear him say my name. "Yes?"

"Would you mind battling me?"

I froze, even when standing on the railway tracks the height difference between the two of us was still evident, "What? Again really out of the blue N."

"My friends… and myself want to test you, to see if you are worthy of the future I wish to create.

I started at him dumbly, "Not to rain on your parade but I only have one Pokémon with me and Raisa and I haven't really had the chance to work together."

"I'll be your first then." He replied releasing a Pidove.

"My first?" I snorted giving the strange man a taxing look. The guy could be pretty bold when he put his mind to it. Still a challenge was a challenge and I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to fight a good opponent.

"Raisa! Let's turn our first official battle into our first official victory!"

The Pidove coming face to face with an over eager electric type simply didn't stand a chance, the poor pigeon Pokémon hardly managed to land a hit before Raisa zapped him with a powerful jolt of electricity. Replacing the unconscious Pidove with a gray, bipedal Pokémon with weird vein-like pink bands on its thighs and shoulders my opponent took his time to check on the fainted bird Pokémon. His eyes narrowed dangerously when I pulled out my Pokédex and pointed it towards the fighting type.

Raisa's victory dance came to a rather abrupt halt when a wooden beam came crashing down on her head with enough force to knock her into next week.  
>The equine Pokémon was smart enough to learn from the unpleasant experience and kept her distance from the smirking Timburr who handled his log of wood as if it were a mere twig.<p>

"Snatch his club and he'll be all bark and no bite!" I shouted.

Dodging the fierce swipes the small zebra kept barking at Timburr, taunting him. Slow but fierce movements became more reckless and dangerous by the minute, the zebra Pokémon knew that one more hit to the head would be the last of that battle and kept her distance from his long range swipes. Finally Raisa found an opening in the strong Pokémon's defense and moved in for the attack. Kicking the long beam from his hands the equine forced Timburr to the ground and barked in victory.

"Alright Raisa!" I shouted in triumph when N made no move to release another opponent to go up against the already exhausted Blitzle.

"You were perfect!" I praised hugging the Pokémon around her neck, "N you too, you know how to fight!"

Turning towards the silent teen I noticed he stood rooted to the spot, head downcast. "Right now I'm not strong enough to save all Pokémon." he mused aloud voicing out thoughts that had to make more sense to him than to me. "I can't solve the equation that will change the world… I need power, some sort of catalyst."

_Okay someone is a sore loser?_

"N." I began but got cut short by his sudden glare. The hairs on my arms and neck stood on end when he turned, shadowed eyes met mine and held. His face had taken on that dreamy expression, as if he was seeing things I couldn't. "I'll befriend someone powerful enough to make everyone agree…"

A cold calculating look filled his eyes, tilting his head to one side a slight smirk marred his face, "And… you and I. Maybe- someday- we will be friends…"

It was a demand, not a request.

With that almost as if on cue the man turned leaving me gaping in disbelief barely capable of plopping down on the nearest bench.

The enigma N wore all kinds of masks, his black one left quite an impression…


	25. Lesson 25

**Lesson 25: When anger shows**

* * *

><p>The amount of people joining Team Plasma was increasing, that and the growing number of trainers releasing their Pokémon made the annoying meetings N had to endure less dull. It pleased him to hear his subordinates' reports. The smaller villages without Gym's appeared easier to…sway. Some of the trainers had released their Pokémon almost immediately after his father's speech.<p>

_At least they understand that it's better to join our cause willingly. Defying the inevitable is nothing more than a waste of energy, _N thought, secretly playing with his old rubik's cube, solving it was almost too easy but it killed time. He would have long died from boredom without the childish toy. The old man standing in front of him kept on blabbering about some fossil, apparently his father had set up a mission to steal it from the Nacrene Gym leader, the woman Lenora had started walking beside her shoes and a visit from Team Plasma might be just what the doctor ordered.

N would be challenging her first thing tomorrow, some of the Pokémon he had met already agreed on lending him their power. It would be an easy victory and one step closer towards his goal. Suppressing a jaw breaking yawn the green haired teenager fixed the old Sage with a calculating stare, the old man's reaction was rather amusing and some grunts snickered when he dropped his notes. Gorm was sharing the information he'd gathered on Castelia's gym leader, the projector showed the image of a tall man with a haircut and clothes that should be illegal. The moves and nature of his Pokémon were neatly lined up.

Burgh. The insect using Gym Leader from Castelia City. He was the one who kept his loyal servants from entering the city.

_He's the one responsible for hundreds of Pokémon suffering inside that filthy mass of buildings he dares to call a city…_

Closing his eyes the teen King tilted his chair backwards, the Pokémon inside the present grunts Pokéballs were talking to each other, one of them seemed rather agitated about something. Focusing on the subtle conversation between the Pokémon N missed out on the change of subject amongst his subordinates. No longer unnerved by his Lord's taxing stare Gorm reprimanded the team of grunts responsible for collecting the Dream Mist.

One of the henchman who's hackles rose from the mere thought of said mission grew red in the face from remembering the disastrous outcome.

"That bad mouth bitch is to blame! She's the one who keeps getting in our way!" He spat.

"And who might this person be?" the Sage asked, carefully rephrasing the grunt's rude words, openly expressing his disdain for the idiot's rudeness.

Eager to please the female grunt sitting next to him made her way towards Gorm presenting him with the report they made on the girl.

"This is everything we could find about her my Lord." She said, her voice eager, and head almost permanently bend in a semi bow. The legs of N's chair came back to the ground with a loud bang when the image of Burgh was replaced by the image of an all too familiar blue eyed girl.

_Now she'd done it. _

N kept his fists tightly clenched at his sides. Pictures of her as a child grinned down on him, even now it felt like she saw right through him, and mocked him for allowing her to. The blonde and that sullen black haired boy appeared in almost each and every one of the pictures, even her Snivy had been caught on camera. It took him everything not to throw something at the projector. It was the final picture that pushed him over the edge and sent him straight towards the startled grunt.

"You think that's funny?" N asked dropping his voice into a low growl, lifting the much older grunt in his anger.

Cringing away from the feral glint in his King's eyes the confused grunt released something that sounded like a high pitched 'Eep'.

"What was that?" N asked studying the white faced male, shaking him for good measure. The fact that doing so banged the bastard's head against the wall was a small bonus.

"I'll only say this once." N whispered keeping his voice down, "That girl is off limits. If I find out that you are the one responsible for **that**." He hissed with a gesture towards the screen, "Let's just say you will count yourself lucky if the local police discovered enough of your remains to take a nice little picture…"

Ignoring the Sage's startled pleas the livid teen shoved his servant back with all the force he could muster. "See to his punishment." N spat turning his back on his subordinates carefully refraining from looking at the picture.

* * *

><p>Leaning against the cold stone wall of the building N ventured some of his anger by hitting the back of his head against the hard concrete.<p>

The first hit was for Purrloin, he had never seen his haughty friend cry like that… he had never seen the feline shed a single tear.

The second impact blurred his vision for a split of a second, N hoped it would leave a bruise, the one her Snivy had looked rather painful.

Ah the third hit. By now he felt rather numb. The empty feeling was almost pleasant.

His head didn't hurt that much, at least not in comparison to the strange dull ache in his heart. 

* * *

><p><em>Please review! Some sketches might follow this week. Enjoy!<em>


	26. Lesson 26

**Lesson 26: Somewhat out of character **

* * *

><p>To fit in a person has to possess certain qualities. For starters obeying the law like any other sane human being is a step in the right direction.<br>The organized jungle also known as society comes with a huge amount of do's and don'ts, some of them more complex than those wretched manuals on constructing your newly bought closet (N found those amusingly easy).

For example running around in your underwear is an obvious don't. Treating others with the utmost respect is a big, flashing in neon letters 'DO!'  
>In N's opinion it didn't really matter if others stared at him strangely, if the townspeople decided to pass a homeless person (going out of their way to create a wide arch around the poor fellow in doing so) the teenager found himself compelled to rebel against such petty behavior.<p>

Yes the stranger was kind of dirty to the degree that it became hard to see the actual color of his hair, and point taken his smell could've knocked out a Herdier but hey, the man wasn't causing any trouble unlike some of the teenagers running on the streets in mayhem, and wearing socks on your hands could be considered genius.

It didn't matter. You could be considered a gentleman or a sleazy dog and most people are considered both at least once during their lives.

A lady or… someone not so ladylike.

A King or a mere peasant.

N realized his behavior hadn't been very king-like, a certain amount of strictness was in place, however throwing one of his loyal subordinates against a wall wasn't. Certainly not in front of a Sage.

_He deserved it though. _He muttered quietly, as if to justify himself to the tiny voice in his head that seemed to relish in sticking the mental picture of Ashe to his forehead.

_Sitting there bowing her head, radiating pure regret. Purrloin and her Snivy had looked utterly shocked, even that Blitzle, still wild back then was taken aback by her sincerity.  
><em>  
>Zero seizing his opportunity to sneak outside Team Plasma's temporary hideout found his single human friend outside the building. He was sitting up against the cold concrete wall of the (what should've been) abandoned studio. Knees drawn up against his chest in the position Zero had seen him take on ever since he was a child it became rather hard for the fox to find his friend capable of the violence he had witnessed only minutes ago.<p>

Shaking his head from unwanted thoughts Zero walked quietly toward him. He had been crying, that much was obvious.

"I shouldn't have done what I did." N whispered when Zero reached his feet and stood there.

"It was funny." Zero replied answering the young man's affronted glare with one of his own before adding, "I too saw that picture. It might please you to hear that I didn't see any injuries on her."

Zero stared at N, searching for any sign of relief. N began to fiddle with the chain around his neck, his downcast glance made him look somewhat vulnerable, like a child about to receive his punishment.

"You sure?" he asked.

"As sure as I have a tail and four paws."

N couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on his face, biting his bottom lip he voiced out his troubled thoughts, "Father will know about her, maybe he already does. We both saw the angle from which that final picture was taken.

Zero who looked rather puzzled hissed, "You don't think?" he looked over at N.

"I don't think, I **know**." N replied, his voice grim, "The Shadow Triad will have their work cut out for them…"

"She can be a handful." Zero admitted resting his head against N's leg, his eyes drooping until they were mere slits.

N chuckled, the two of them remained outside for more than an hour, they sat in companionable silence, each alone in his own thoughts.

"Zero?" N asked as he leaned over to scratch the canine's head.

"I said I was sure N," Zero protested, "My eyes are better than yours plus I wasn't preoccupied with strangling people to death.

"Just checking." N laughed, flicking the Pokémon's ear with his index finger knowing his friend hated it when he did that. Zero's payback which consisted of transforming into a horrendous looking, however uninjured Ashe ended with N rubbing his aching forehead muttering apologies to a knocked out fox.

"S-Sorry! But you should know better!" He began as the fox recovered himself from the unexpected headbutt. Said attack had been strong enough to break his illusion, something only a Pokémon should be capable of. N's face had been priceless, seeing an illusionary brunette, fox eared with canine teeth had been the last thing he'd expected. In his turn Zero hadn't seen that headbutt coming…

_He never does things half-heartedly.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"He never does anything half-heartedly." I explained with a barely suppressed snort, waving over an obvious puzzled Touya.<p>

Chocolate colored eyes surveyed the huge amount of dishes, his eyebrows practically disappearing behind his bangs when he noticed the mountain high tower of empty plates.

"No kiddin." He replied struggling to squeeze himself onto the empty seat next to an already blushing Bianca, who shot him a shy smile before turning her attention on an extremely depressed Cheren. It was quite impressive that she still tried to talk some sense into my black haired friend, by now the blonde had to strain her neck in order to see past bowls of fried rice. Her efforts went to waste of course. Having a conversation with the leftovers might've been more interesting, since Cheren had hardly said a word after informing us about his loss to Lenora.

Apparently his Pokémon hadn't been able to even touch Lenora's team, if I had to believe Cheren the Nacrene City Gym was the new proud owner of a Dewott shaped dent in the wall, and if I felt like adding a Snivy shaped one I should go ahead and challenge her.

"You celebrating something?" Touya asked, an ear splitting grin on his face.

It was obvious the brown haired teen was very happy about something, the guy was glowing with enough pride to vanquish the dark ominous clouds Cheren preferred dragging alongside him. He could make girl scouts cry merely by looking at them.

"More like dealing with a certain something." I said with a nod towards the Basic Badge that shone on Touya's collar, "Congratulations."

Mouthing an inaudible 'Oh' he carefully steered the conversation into a direction that didn't result in him having to dodge fried rice.

"It should be close to hatching by now." He said, glancing at the grey egg that sat in my lap, snugly wrapped in the scarf Snivy had stolen, "Excited?"

I shrugged, "Only every second of every day." I replied airily, smiling softly at the egg's smooth surface. Not a single crack was to be seen.

"You'll come out when you feel like it don't you little man? Good things are worth the wait but I bet you already know that."

A frown marred Touya's face,"Little man?" he asked, "Gran actually told you the Pokémon's gender? Ah man she can't keep a secret, thank god she didn't tell you what kind of Pokémon it is."

I studied his face, "It's really a boy?"

Touya blinked and shook his head, "You just said?"

"Yeah but that was… I dunno motherly intuition?"

"Oh… err… surprise?"

Taking my time to chew on a mouthful of rice I tried wrapping my head around the fact my feminine instincts had been spot on for once._ Miracles do happen._

"Can I ask you something, and promise not to be offended?" Touya asked ignoring my taxing stare.

"Try me and I'll judge if I feel offended." I replied waving my fork in his direction.

Considering how much it would hurt to be poked with cutlery the brown haired teen decided to take the risk."Why don't you ever…" he hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know how women get around kids and newborn Pokémon…."

"Yeah they melt into a puddle of goo and lose their ability to form coherent sentences.." I admitted catching Bianca's eye so I could stick out my tongue at her.

"So? Why aren't you like that?"

"That's a good question!" Bianca interjected, finally joining in on our conversation allowing Cheren some time to feel depressed.

Seeing their eager faces made a bright blush appear on my own, "I don't know I guess I'm just -"

"It's not like her." Cheren said softly in his metallic voice, " It would be totally out of character."

I shot him a smile, my bespectacled friend had a point, "He's right." I said with a slight nod in his direction, "It would be like Bianca dying her hair black and hating fashion, or a Cheren without glasses but with a sense of humor."

"Oh har har, I'm dying here." He replied dryly, ignoring Touya and Bianca's roaring laughter.

"I would love you if you had perfect eyesight, but I prefer the snarky, sarcastic Cheren. Even if you're the world's biggest sulker."

* * *

><p>Later that night after paying quite an impressive bill (the restaurant's owner had friendly invited us to please visit again) the three of us had said goodbye to Touya and we returned to our cheap, but using Bianca's words 'cozy' hotel. The rooms were affordable and as long as you hurried in the shower everyone had the privilege of enjoying hot water.<p>

_She's the world's biggest fraud. _Cheshire purred, lazily licking a paw and using it to clean a long ear. The feline, unable to resist a bunk bed, had claimed the top bed, having the highest position in the room gave him a somewhat superior feeling, not that he needed it.

_If only they knew how out of character she gets when no one sees her._ Marron hissed amused, eyeing his trainer who had once again been caught acting very un-Ashe-like.

She sat on the floor cradling the egg in her arms while humming a soft tune looking rather absent minded. Her voice stopped short, and after considering for a while she began singing in a hesitant but rather pleasant voice:

_"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."_

She drifted off into a soft hum that lulled grass, dark and electric type to sleep. Inside the egg a flying type could tell by the sound of steady heartbeats that his soon to be companions had succumbed to sleep. He liked it when the owner of the soft voice sang to him. One song had been his particular favorite, he had tried to convey that message to her by kicking against the dark thing that seemed to surround him. He didn't possess enough strenght to break it just yet, but he knew she had felt it back then because ever since she used a particular name when she spoke to him. Apparently said person sang the song he liked so much.

It was a good name.

* * *

><p><strong>And a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries<strong>

It took Cheren two more tries before he managed to defeat Lenora. He and Saya returned to the arena with their heads held high, unfazed by Lenora's Watchog who stood waiting for Saya illuminating the stripes on his body, threatening the water type. The rodent's bulging eyes grew even larger when Saya smartly used her scallops to deflect his thunderbolt attack. Bianca and I had invented that technique after experimenting with some of Raisa's moves.

Unable to hide the spring to his step the black haired teenager who practically paraded through Nacrene City agreed to train Bianca for her upcoming battle with Lenora. In my opinion, fighting her would be a much better occupation than cleaning his already brighter than the sun Basic Badge. He started acting somewhat like himself after I suggested I could tape the badge to his forehead so he would never have to let it go. Helping Bianca was a more pressing matter, especially after I caught her studying her last remains of mushroom soup obviously considering to drown herself in them.

The blonde, in her belief that Lenora was unbeatable and probably more powerful than the entire Elite Four hoped Oreo would evolve gaining her an advantage against Lenora's Normal-type Pokémon.

I too had decided to get in some training before taking a chance against Lenora. Challenging trainer upon trainer Marron evolved into a taller, slightly different version of himself. Remembering his loud cry and seeing him bathed in a brilliant light still made my heart skip a beat. His opponent an extremely tough Servine found herself face to face with a haughtily sneering serpent. She didn't stand a chance.

"Alright Cheshire, double team one more time!" Arching his back the feline once again filled the clearing with exact copies of himself. Raisa who found herself surrounded by glittering emerald eyes and slashing tails neighed unhappily, her kind didn't enjoy being surrounded.

"Like we practiced guys!" I yelled taking a step back when dozens of Purrloin's ran for cover, already aware of the incoming attack.

Storing electricity in her jagged horn and releasing it with a loud bark Raisa sent an unavoidable ring of power towards several purple cats.  
>Only three of Cheshire's copies managed to remain unscathed. After hours of training Raisa had finally mastered a move Cheren called 'Shock Wave', according to him it didn't do that much damage but it never failed to hit the mark.<p>

Counting this time Cheshire had managed to sustain his double team only once and without that large boulder to hide behind there would be only one dark type left on the battle field.

"Nice! Smart move Cheshire! Raisa your aim improved a lot!" I cheered watching the exchange of attacks between the two Pokémon, secretly feeling quite proud of the progress they were making.

"They're really giving it their all aren't they?" I asked Marron who joined me on the sidelines. The grass type had enjoyed his 'day off' to adapt to his new form, he had done so surprisingly easy and the one having to adjust was me, "You doubled in size!" I muttered comparing his height to my own.

"Your smugness might've tripled." I joked with a tap on his nose, giggling when he stared at my finger with a slightly cross-eyed look.

* * *

><p>After returning Raisa and Cheshire to their Pokéballs (both Pokémon were getting a bit too enthusiastic in their friendly fight) I slowly walked towards the Nacrene Museum of Natural History, the lady sitting behind a desk in the entrance hall gave me a wave and winked. Her usual 'Welcome to our museum please enjoy your visit' had disappeared after my fourth visit. The museum itself was just too huge and I might've been a bit too distracted by the exact replica of a cavern situated somewhere in Johto.<p>

"It says four teenagers discovered the cavern by accident," Cheren had read aloud from his information brochure, "after following their Growlithe nicknamed Robot" He pulled a slight face, "one of the boys fell into a hole in the ground."

Bianca had nudged him in the ribs, "You lost her the second she saw it." She said with a nod in my direction. The bespectacled boy followed her gaze and sighed, "Now I'll never get to see those Wailord bones…"

According to my friends I stood there looking at the painting of a rainbow colored bird with my mouth dropped like an idiot for over twenty minutes.  
>Marron even tried to chuck a leaf straight in my open mouth without me noticing.<p>

Today would be Bianca's pick and slightly influenced by Cheren's constant nagging we took some time to listen to a scientist's lecture on extracting Pokémon DNA from fossils. After that we wandered past gigantic skeletons noting how reptile Pokémon suddenly grew wing-like appendages after years and years of evolution. Bianca had found herself forced to return Dodger in his Pokéball, the small terrier had been itching to steal the tip of a Dragonite's tail, resulting in a complete skeleton being not so very complete anymore. The big watery eyes he used on his trainer had nearly worked if not for Cheren.

The space exhibits humbled the three of us, and our Pokémon grew quiet all of a sudden when we entered the planetarium and stood beneath a starry sky.

"We're so small compared to all of that." Bianca whispered her eyes glistening.

"We sure do." Cheren replied solemnly squeezing her shoulder.

As I stared upwards I noticed something from the corner of my eye. It appeared to have a soft glow around it like it was radiating, "That stone." I said unable to stop myself from moving towards it. I came to a halt in front of a shelf, "It's... glowing." Extending a hand I found myself aching to touch the deep black stone.

_It almost feels like it's calling out._

"Ashe?" Cheren and Bianca asked simultaneously.

_Ashe. _Marron hissed slashing his long tail in agitation, wrapping a slender vine whip around my wrist.  
><em><br>__**Ashe.**_

I jumped in surprise and turned towards the source of the sound, not quite able to shake the feeling a fourth voice had spoken my name.

* * *

><p>It had happened again. When she checked the museum that evening before closing down Lenora could've sworn that newly arrived black rock hummed and pulsed. It had something eerie…<br>That morning the thing had been light as a feather, hours later the stone had become so heavy it took her a considerate amount of strength to lift it, and lifting stones had been her job for more than fifteen years. It still was.

"Almost as if it didn't want to be moved." She shook her head. _You're losing it honey, maybe I inhaled too much dust from cleaning that Tirtouga shell… Yeah that must be it._

Shaking her head one last time Lenora decided to remove the troublesome thoughts from her head like she removed the sand covered apron she wore.

As if to ridicule her the innocent looking stone gave one last fleeting hum. The sound of it almost too low for human ears.

If she closed her eyes and listened closely it almost resembled a human heartbeat.

Almost.


	27. Lesson 27

**Lesson 26: Victory  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Static electricity filled the air of the Nacrene City Gym. A sore but nonetheless proud Raisa trotted to my side. Petting her nose I turned to face Lenora. We were down to her last Pokémon. Finally, after a long and hard week of training, morning jog sessions, Bianca Pep-talks and sore muscles victory beckoned.<p>

Her Watchog was growing tired, add some paralysis to the mix and we had a beatable opponent. I knew it, my Pokémon knew it and judging from the unhappy expression on the gym leader's face, she too knew it. Nonetheless a smile pulled at her lips when she eyed my side of the battlefield. Hanging around with electric types was terrible for a girl's hair. Standing next to the equine Pokémon I could feel how my thick ponytail rose into the air, the dark skinned woman with her frizzy hair didn't seemed to mind, like herself her hairdo remained unfazed. Cheshire was doing no better.

The grumpy cat eyed me dryly, _after using me as a diversion don't your dare laugh at me. In fact, don't even think about laughing. _I couldn't help myself and laughed anyway, he looked really silly.

"Hey you agreed to it when we discussed battle tactics!" I replied wrinkling my nose at my Pokémon. "Tonight I'll give you a long and nice grooming session, aaaand" I narrowed my eyes at the dark type, my playful tone had caught its attention, "fresh Moomoo milk! Had to search all of Nacrene City for it, just for you! So tell me who's the man?"

_You are a girl._

"I know that Sherlock, it's just a figure of speech! Now admit it I'm the best!"

_I would rather eat a Lilipup's dinner.  
><em>  
>Despite his passive face a delighted flicker had cursed through the feline's emerald eyes, I had won this fight.<p>

"Now for the official fight." I muttered to myself before throwing Marron's Pokéball towards the battle field.

"Oh I see, your little Snivy has evolved, nice work little trainer." Lenora remarked, her low voice calm.

"Yeah, he been dying to show of his new look."

The grass type flashed his smug smile when he noticed his opponent, not allowing the rodent a second respite he showered the Pokémon with razor sharp leaves.

_You had these coming. _He hissed when Watchog managed to dodge the largest part of the incoming attack but gained a deep gash in his paw.

_And you have a nice run in with a wall coming. _The rodent said, snapping his large front teeth at Marron's tail.

"Don't get too confident Marron!" I said when I noticed his behavior, "You know he's strong!"

_Yes, strong and paralyzed. _He replied but crouched into a defensive stance nonetheless.

A few minutes later Lenora had to admit defeat. Her Watchog had given Marron a run for his money, the serpent had been so busy dodging blow after blow that he didn't find the time to toss a few snide remarks. He had ended the fight by flinging the Pokémon at the Snivy shaped dent in the wall. The wall just about had it, after that final blow it was impossible to identify the strange shaped hole, unless someone had ever heard of a Pokémon with eight paws, two heads and what looked like two tails.

I left the gym as the proud owner of two badges in total and a lot of money Lorena had given me as a bonus. "It's an honor to compensate you for such a good match." She had said sternly when I tried to refuse it.

"Took you long enough." Cheren commented before I had the chance to share my victory, the dorky grin on my face said enough.

"Congratulations!" Biance shrieked. Throwing her arms around my neck we performed a strange little victory dance to celebrate. "Indian food tonight, I'll pay this time!" I cheered sharing a clumsy high five with Marron who sat perched on top of my cap. The grass type was getting way to big for it, but he loved it when I walked for him.

Two days ago Bianca had shared her price money with us by treating us to ice cream. Cheren had refused to waste his money on such "Stupid stuff" as he liked to call it. My bespectacled friend was all about saving your money for times of need while Bianca and I had the tendency to spend more money than we owned. And while we felt okay with using a small part of it to have ourselves a little party, Cheren had used his own money to buy some Great Balls and a few Potions, doing us a grand favor by promising he would sell us some for half the price.

Bianca's mouth had dropped when my friend had the audacity to say something like that while eating a banana split she of all people had paid for. "Isn't he the sweetest. Such a catch." I had whispered audibly to some other female customers. Bianca and I nearly choked on our own desserts at the sight of Cheren's sour face.

"It did take you quite some time to challenge her again." Bianca said releasing me from her bear hug, "I mean even Oreo and I managed to beat her and unlike your Pokémon, mine hasn't evolved." Her tone became somewhat sad when she mentioned Oreo's lack of evolving, the fire type was breathing a huge amount of fire and smoke and started glowing occasionally but nothing had happened yet. Off course Bianca blamed herself for this.

"You should be proud, Oreo managed to beat that Watchog as a Tepig. Cheren nor I managed to do that!" I said eying my friend kindly.

Cheren raised and eyebrow, he knew what I was up too, "Yes that's nice and all but don't try and change the subject." He said. I grimaced.

_Crap. Stupid Cheren always so observant._

"Errr… I grew fond of the city?" I tried sounding very unlike myself. I admit, I'm a lousy liar.

"Suuure and only yesterday you were complaining about the lack of art stores, and when you tripped over that can of coke you kept going on and on about -"

"Okay okay point taken!" I shouted back.

"Well?" the black haired teen asked, pressing me to continue with a wave of his hand.

"I admit, I really hate soda, you know the stuff is so sickly sweet and when the bubbles get inside your nose it's a mess."

Cheren blinked. "I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."

"Did you meet a cute guy?" Bianca tried tapping her chin with her index finger. Cheren pinched the bridge of his nose, "Not everything revolves around guys Bianca." He snapped shaking his head. Now that his attention was fixed on Bianca I took a step back, followed by several others.

"I didn't say that!" the blonde replied, cheeks reddening.

"You don't have to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Go find a cute guy and ask _him."_

A snort caught the arguing pair's attention. Oreo who had decided to release himself from his Pokéball pointed towards the spot I had been standing a few seconds ago.

"We need to buy her a leash or something." Cheren groaned.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey everyone, I'm back from the dead and finally updated this story. Thing is, I've been busy with college and writing my own orignal storynovel. I would really appreciate it if some of you would find the time to read it maybe? it's posted on fictionpress, same author name: Adsini. Check it out and please review!**


	28. Lesson 28

**Lesson 28: I spy with my little eye  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Understanding both Marron and Cheshire became easier every day. To the point I could no longer imagine myself being unable to comprehend Pokémon speech. They were capable of much more than just their names. Marron was a fluent user of sarcasm. The tiny serpent was always the first to offer his own unique opinion, his remarks often direct but nonetheless true.<p>

Cheshire was the subtle one, he observed before acting and chose to hide his feelings until prompted otherwise.  
>Raisa was bright, quick to react like the electric type she was. We hadn't been together long enough to reach the understanding I had with my other two Pokémon but we were getting there.<p>

Living side by side with these creatures proved to be more interesting than I had ever imagined. They too seemed to be puzzled by my own character traits. During a game of poker Marron had managed to expose me when I was bluffing not once but every single time. I didn't scratch my nose, or twitch my eye like Bianca did occasionally, no my bluff could be detected by looking at my shoulders, at least that's what Marron implied, if he's bluffing or yanking my chain I'm afraid I'll never be able to tell. He has the best pokerface I've ever seen in my life.

According to Cheshire I start reading my magazines from back to front, and I pull at least ten different faces while reading a single page.  
>Last but not least Raisa claims I talk during my sleep and once had a very interesting conversation with her about which taste better: apples or carrots.<p>

Diagnosis: I'm a very strange person, who sucks at poker, reads books backwards, pulls a lot of faces and likes to have conversations about food. Marvelous.

_You haven't told them? _Marron asked as I made my way to the museum for my daily visit.

"I'll never hear the end of it." I hissed back at the Pokémon, shooing him from the top of my head so I could remove my cap. "Cheren will lecture me, Bianca will worry and after I died from their nagging my mother would ground my corpse for life…or death…or whatever."

Stuffing the white and pink hat inside my backpack, I pulled my long hair free, allowing it to fall loosely over my shoulders and back. The perfect disguise. "It's grown again. Have to trim it very soon." I muttered to myself before removing my sleeveless black vest and replacing it with a baggy grey sweater.

_Should I decorate myself with some plants? Roll around in the mud and bark like a Lillipup?_

I laughed and raised a brow, "Why would a Lillipup be covered in mud? That doesn't make sense ."

_All that hair doesn't make sense to me._ He hissed in reply, sneezing delicately when a long strand of my own hair tickled his nose during his descent from my head to my shoulders. _Scales are much more…._he hesitated and decided to go for _handsome._

"Hmm… the shedding doesn't make much sense to me. No offence buddy." I said nodding politely at the receptionist sitting behind the counter.

_Don't do that! What if she recognizes us? _Marron hissed as he grabbed my head and turned it away from the museum staff.

"Stop your hissing it's very suspicious. And for your information, that last receptionist, the cow who gave my picture to security had red hair." I whispered through clenched teeth, "No wonder I got banned from the museum, you are acting as if you're about to stuff a fossil inside my backpack any minute now."

_Yes and you taking pictures while standing next to a sign that says: No Pictures, had nothing to do with it. And you just had to touch that black stone didn't you?_

"In my defense you were just as surprised as I was when that blackout occurred! You saw it, I just touched it, very innocent, no harm done." I replied, clearing my throat when a few people eyed me questioningly. They probably thought I was crazy for bantering with a Pokémon like that.

We walked past a group of tourists who were busy listening to one of the curators of the museum. He wore a white lab coat which reminded me of professor Juniper, behind him stood the remains of a Pokémon named Armaldo, apparently it  
>had gone extinct for hundreds of years.<p>

_You have to admit, _Marron continued not bothered by the looks we were getting, _that it was a rather odd coincidence._

I pondered on this as I took a turn and walked past ancient Pokémon sculptures, I had been postponing my rematch with Lenora despite what I said to my friends. Somehow that black stone kept bugging me, I could almost feel its presence buzzing in the back of my skull. Too deep in thought I didn't hear it when Marron started hissing warningly.

_Hey Ashe. Snap out of it. Hellooooo? Come on where are the brakes on this thing! _He hissed while tugging my hair as if they were reigns to pull me back.

Bumping into something massive –I really hoped it wasn't some antique relic – Marron flew headfirst from my shoulder. The person I had walked into was carrying a Pokémon with him too for I suddenly found myself catching a small black furred Pokémon.

_Lemme go, lemme go you stupid human! You do as I say this very second or I swear I'll -_

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry!" I panicked doing the only thing that popped into my mind which was dropping the wriggling Pokémon to the polished wooden floor. The fox came down with a loud thud."Oh no I didn't mean to do that either! I mean I heard of Pokémon trading – ahaha – but this is just…errr… taking it a bit too literally " Scratching the back of my neck I laughed stupidly. The boy I ran into mumbled something waving with a very pissed looking Marron.

_She dropped me! N did you see what she did? Can't believe that violent woman dropped me! _Zero growled angrily his fur bristling with anger.

_Quit your yapping for Reshiram's sake. _Marron snapped.

Wait a minute. N? I stopped my rambling and looked all the way up. Tousled tea green hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Yep, definitely N. Should've realized after catching a Zorua… stupid brain…

_Excuse me? Wanna say that again you dumb purse  
><em>  
>"Hush Zero." N spoke handing me Marron who hung in his hands without even struggling, slender green arms crossed over his chest.<p>

"Oh…thanks N." I said as I took my Pokémon from his hands, refraining from touching his skin.

He froze, green eyes narrowed. "You know me?"

I frowned, had our collision rattled his brain or something, he'd seen me only a week ago?

"Errr… N? It's me, Ashe? Ashe White" I whispered hoping that my full name might ring a bell, seriously how many girls did the guy know, was it that difficult to even remember my name? "I tackled you once…not that it matters."

_He doesn't recognize you with that hood on dummy. _Marron suggested helpfully yanking my hood off with his vine whip.

The green haired teen sprung back as if shocked by an electric type. "A-Ashe?" he gasped pointing an accusing finger in my direction nearly stepping on his Zorua's tail during his retreat. It was kinda funny.

I smirked. "Guilty as charged, but please don't yell my name like that."

Fiddling with the strange bracelets around his wrist, N opened his mouth, closed it again and started staring at me.

_He's a weird one isn't he. Very jumpy, heart rate is going through the roof right now._

"Why am I not allowed to say your name?" N asked hesitantly, "It's a pretty name, I like it. Ashe Wh—hmmp!"

"Shhhh." I hissed using my free hand which wasn't covering his mouth to bring my index finger to my lips. N's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, a faint pink colour flooded his face and for a I second I worried I was choking him. Sitting by his feet Zorua started barking angrily until an amused Marron copied my move on him.

"Just don't say it right now."

His brow furrowed, wordlessly asking me to explain myself. Searching my mind I decided to appeal to the childish side of his personality. It wouldn't be hard, the guy was an overgrown kid anyway.

"I'm playing a game." I said, laughing inwardly when his eyes gained an intrigued sparkle, it made him look oddly cute.

"I'm an uh…detective right now, so people can't know my name. You get that?" I asked, waiting for him to nod before removing my hand. He scrutinized our surroundings with a serious look before bending closer, "If I can't use your name then what should I call you?" he whispered already completely wrapped up by our "game".

Marron pulled a pained face, the snake was just dying to say something. Thank the legendary Pokémon I had decided to keep Cheshire in his Pokéball, the feline would have a field day. I stifled a giggle. "Sherlock Holmes of course. And since you are my accomplice that would make you Watson."

"Sherlock Holmes is a boy's name."

"Yeah so? My real name is kinda boyish too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Don't try my patience Watson." I joked giving N a retaliatory elbow in the ribs.

"Outch! Ashe, that hurt!"

The last thing I saw was a silently cursing N plastering his hands over his mouth again. Only seconds afterwards the museum became pitch black and an alarm started wailing.

"Oh no! no no no no no!" N panicked covering his ears, "Forget I said that! I didn't mean it!"

A very familiar and very agitated Watchog sprinted past me, it's stripes alight with a fierce glow that hurt my eyes. Lenora came running after it, her frizzy hair even more wild looking.

"What the hell?" I gasped moving towards the agitated gym leader who grasped my shoulder tightly.

"Lenora, what happened?" I asked raising my voice to make myself heard above the blaring alarms and panicking visitors.

"Robery. Thieves." She replied, barking some instructions at a few staff members. "It's that blasted Team Plasma again. They stole the skull of our Dragonite fossil. It's a complete skeleton, do you know how rare that is? I warned the security team about them, but no they were more worried about visitors taking pictures. IF I GET MY HANDS ON THOSE THIEVES!"

At the sound of Team Plasma I promptly returned Marron to his Pokéball, not taking any risks. "You better do the same." I told N who stood there, his face oddly calm.

"What can we do?" I asked unaware of Zorua's snort when I said 'we'.

"They can't be that far. The skull nearly weighs two hundred pounds ,when we procured it a bunch of Machamp had to haul it in. So that leaves them with two options. Return to Accumula City or Pinwheel Forest. I truly suspect they did the latter. The forest is huge, and provides cover."

"Then I'll go and look for them there." I said, heart beating rapidly with excitement. My detective game had become reality.

"I will inform the police, and contact Burgh, he knows that place better than anyone." Her dark eyes moved towards N and stayed fixed on him, "Be careful Ashe, those Plasma people won't hesitate to hurt you." She said before running of.

"Well Watson…you up for an adventure?" I asked turning towards the tall teen with my hand on my hips.

Exchanging a glance with the snickering fox at his feet the tall teenager seemed to hesitate. "Ashe.." He started once again using my name, "I have to tell you something, you see I...My father... he's..."

"Aw come on N, you are way too old to be worrying about your parents." I said cutting him short, "You wanted to be friends right?"

Now _that _caught his attention.

Cheeks tinged pink the teen started babbling at a rapid speed, the words kept tumbling over each other, the guy just kept talking and talking, assumingly never pausing to catch his breath. I managed to grasp the main message though. N truly wanted to be my friend, if he understood what it meant to have a human friend anyway. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me but I could have sworn I heard the words "Pretty" and "Kind like you a lot".

"Okay as your friend -" a dazzling smile appeared on his face when I called him that, "I am telling you to trust me on this and asking you for help."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys! Worked really hard to add yet another chapter! hope you like it. As always I would really appreciate reviews and a visit on my fictionpress profile(!)<strong>

**~adsini**


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